Rhubarb. Asparagus. Strawberries. And salmon! Nothing says summer quite like the bounty of local food that becomes available this time of year. And for fishing families, the first salmon openings of the year really are the hallmark of summer.
The first salmon openings of the year are on June 7th this year in Barkley Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island and off the mouth of the Nass River as far north as you can go on the coast in BC.
This year, Skipper Otto has decided not to head north for the Nass openings as he has done for at least the last 18 years, but instead will head to Barkley Sound with his son, Shaun onboard his gillnetter, Omega V. Shaun has leased a gillnetter called Little Gaffer and, for the first time ever, the father-son-grandson Strobel family will fish alongside one another on 2 separate boats. Otto and Shaun will run their boats from the False Creek Fishermen’s Wharf around the southern tip of Vancouver Island, and up the island to Barkley Sound, off Port Alberni for the first sockeye salmon opening. They will fish the first opening that will last between 1-3 days, and then offload and leave the boats moored in Port Alberni. One of our distribution team members will drive over after the first opening to pick them up, and to transport them and their first, glistening, silvery catch home to Vancouver via the Nanaimo ferry. For the coming weeks after that, Otto and Shaun will drive back and forth to Vancouver Island each week on the ferry, fish for the duration of the opening, and come home with their catch. We’re excited to bring you stories and photos from the Strobel’s Barkley Sound openings!
Shaun and sons, Lyndon and Oliver, setting up the net markers for night fishing in Barkley Sound last year.Otto fishing the Nass opening, June 2015
Meanwhile, life-long, second generation fisherman Barry Marcotte is heading up to fish the Nass openings and to send these beautiful, northern sockeye down for our members. Barry will be taking Otto’s place as the lead fisherman in the north, coordinating with our other northern fishermen. Barry is taking on the huge task of collecting the catch from all our northern fishermen onto his boat, running 5 hours from the fishing grounds to Prince Rupert at the end of the long opening, offloading, and coordinating shipping from Rupert. We’re so grateful to have Barry enthusiastically taking charge of this important job! The first Nass opening is also June 7th and we look forward to hearing updates from Barry and our northern crew!
Specific offerings can vary from year to year, but our mainstay products are flash-frozen, boneless, skin-on fillets and portions – in sizes that are usually around 1lb each. Lingcod fillets are usually available in both 1lb and ½ lb portion sizes. Lingcod cheeks are in roughly 1lb portion sizes. Halibut and sablefish collars are low cost options for stews and soups. Hake was not available in 2023.
2023 prices are shown here. Prices do fluctuate each year. Higher price ranges reflect the inclusion of shipping costs for locations outside of Metro Vancouver.
Halibut is caught between the months of March-November, lingcod in May, sablefish in the summer and rockfish late spring and summer. We aim to keep halibut, lingcod and rockfish in stock year-round while sablefish can be available mostly in the late summer and fall.
PRODUCT
SEASON
Halibut
MAR-NOV
Sablefish
JUL-SEP
Lingcod
MAY-JULY
Yellowtail Rockfish
JUN-SEP
PRODUCT
PRICE
Halibut fillets
$39-$44/lb
Sablefish fillets
$27-$30/lb
Lingcod fillets
$22-$27/lb
Yellowtail rockfish fillets
$13-$16/lb
Halibut collars
$10-$13/lb
Sablefish collars
$8-$11/lb
Lingcod cheeks
$28-$31/lb
Tuna
Our albacore tuna is flash-frozen at sea to ensure it is sushi-grade. We carry both full and ½ loins which range in weight between a little over 1 lb and a ½ lb. We also offer thin sliced cold smoked tuna lox in 100g packages and three types of canned products – regular, no salt and smoked tuna varieties. Unlike some other tuna species, albacore is a smaller species which is low in mercury which makes it safe to eat more frequently!
2023 prices are shown here. Prices do fluctuate each year. Higher price ranges reflect the inclusion of shipping costs for locations outside of Metro Vancouver.
Albacore tuna is caught between the months of June and September but we aim to keep it in stock year-round.
PRODUCT
SEASON
Albacore tuna
JUL AUG
PRODUCT
PRICE
Albacore tuna loins
$25-$31/lb
Sliced cold smoked albacore tuna
$11-$12 per 100g package
Canned albacore tuna
$9-$12 per can
Salmon
We carried a wide mix of salmon products in the 2023 season. While specific offerings can vary from year to year, we always have lots of salmon to choose from. Our mainstay products are flash-frozen, boneless, skin-on fillets and portions – in sizes between 1lb and ½ lb each. We also carry hot smoked and cold smoked salmon and a variety of canned salmon products too.
2023 prices are shown here. Prices do fluctuate each year. Higher price ranges reflect the inclusion of shipping costs for locations outside of Metro Vancouver.
2023 prices are shown here. Prices do fluctuate each year. Higher price ranges reflect the inclusion of shipping costs for locations outside of Metro Vancouver.
Arctic Char is caught between the months of November and March. We usually carry it from December onwards and often sell out by late spring or early summer.
PRODUCT
SEASON
Artic Char
NOV-MAR
PRODUCT
PRICE
Artic Char portion
$27 – 32 per lb
Shellfish
Our wild, pink and spiny scallops are individually frozen and packed into 2lb packages. They can be cooked from frozen in one of your favourite clam or mussel recipes. We also offer cans of smoked scallops. In Vancouver, we offer live options at various False Creek Fishermen’s Wharf pick-ups during the year. Mussels are a special treat and one we offer every week during their season, while live Dungeness crab and beach oysters are usually available a few times a year.
2023 prices are shown here. Prices do fluctuate each year. The higher price ranges reflect the inclusion of shipping costs for locations outside of Metro Vancouver.
Scallops are caught between Nov-Feb each year but we aim to keep them in stock year round. Live Mussels are available at weekly pick-ups between July-March. Live Dungeness Crab is available at on 2-3 occasions only between Aug-March. Live beach oysters are available on 2-3 occasions only between Nov-March.
PRODUCT
SEASON
Scallops
JAN-FEB
Oysters
JAN-FEB
Mussels
JUN-APR
Dungeness Crab
JUL-SEP
PRODUCT
PRICE
Scallops
$24-$29 per 2lb box
Beach Oysters (Fishermen’s Wharf only)
$13.75-$19.50 per dozen
Mussels (Fishermen’s Wharf only)
$8.95/lb
Dungeness crab (Fishermen’s Wharf only)
$20-22 per lb
Prawns
Our wild, flash-frozen spot prawn tails are special – even as spot prawns go. These prawns are caught live, quickly tailed and packed into 6 oz or 1 lb tubs aboard the boat, topped up with sea water, then frozen at sea to capture their just-caught freshness and negate the need for any preservatives. Our tubs of spot prawn tails are easy to thaw in minutes and perfect for your favourite shrimp or prawn recipes.
2023 prices are shown here. Prices do fluctuate each year. Higher price ranges reflect the inclusion of shipping costs for locations outside of Metro Vancouver.
