A relationship of transparency, fairness, and equality.


A fishing veteran, not missing a single salmon fishing season between 1969 and 2016! Otto retired for the second time when he sold his boat in 2018 (it might stick this time!)

miniboatOmega V minifishSalmon minihookGillnetting minilocationNorthern & Mid Coast

Shaun is our lead fisher and fishing industry expert with an MA in the history and political economy of the BC fishing industry and a lifetime fishing the BC coast. For the 2023 fishing season, his two sons Oliver and Lyndon joined him, with Oliver taking on a newly appointed deckhand position on the Eldorado.

miniboatEldorado minifishSockeye & Chinook Salmon minihookGillnetting minilocationWest coast of Vancouver Island, Barkley Sound & Alberni Inlet

Andrew Aiyout first started fishing for arctic char with his father, and fellow Skipper Otto fisher Tommy Aiyout, along with his brother, Wayne. They can still be found fishing together to this day, making the two hour one-way trip out on their snowmobiles from Taloyoak to Tahik Lake in Nunavut. Andrew has four children, and his youngest, Howie Sylvester's favourite food is fresh arctic char!

miniboatSnowmobile minifishArctic char minihookGillnet and auger minilocationTahik Lake, Nunavut

Tommy Aiyout is a skilled and active hunter living in Taloyoak, Nunavut. As a former mayor and current council member, Tommy works to contribute to the well-being of his community in addition to spending time on the land harvesting traditional Inuit foods for his extended family. As a member of the Canadian Rangers, he is seemingly impervious to the cold. His expertise in guiding, scouting, and wilderness survival supports search and rescue, surveillance, and patrol operations in the Canadian Arctic. Equally importantly he helps train future generations – including his own children and grandchildren – how to survive and thrive in the Arctic.

miniboatSnowmobile minifishArctic char minihookGillnet and auger minilocationTahik Lake, Nunavut

Johnny is a first generation hailing from Ladner, BC and has been fishing for over 40 years.

miniboatJennifer Jayne minifishSockeye Salmon minihookGillnetting minilocationWest coast of Vancouver Island, Barkley Sound & Alberni Inlet

Todd is a third generation fisher, and Melanie is a second generation fisher having started as deckhand for her dad when she was young. Their teenage son, Chase, and teenage nephew, Elijah, both often joining for the summer trip as deckhands. The 2023 season was their first year fishing for Skipper Otto members.

miniboatOcean Jade minifishPink Salmon minihookTrolling minilocationNorth of Haida Gwaii

Gear Methods

Gear Methods

How do gear methods work?

miniboat minifish minihook minilocation
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Delia and her partner Scott came aboard in 2015 when she emailed us looking for a way to connect her lovingly-grown oysters to local consumers. She had heard about our CSF and was very eager that our innovative model of connecting fishermen directly to consumers might provide an alternative to selling her shellfish overseas. We are proud to offer ethical, local shellfish directly to our members and at being able to help the shellfish growers of Cortes Island continue their traditional, small-scale way of life.

miniboat minifishPacific oysters minihookBeach grown and harvested minilocationCortes Island & Desolation Sound

Joel and Melissa fish aboard their 42′ boat, Lisa Jess, using many catch methods for a variety of species. As a 4th generation fisher, Joel grew up fishing and took over his parents fishing operations in 2014. Melissa, who has a background as a biologist married into the industry. Often with their two young children onboard, and balancing operations with advocacy, they are very much a true fishing family. Learn all about the Collier's experience fishing for Skipper Otto on our blog!

miniboatLisa Jess minifishScallops, spot prawns minihookTrapping, mid-water trawl minilocationJohnston Strait & Mid Coast

Joe started fishing in the mid 90’s. He met Amy a decade or so later while he was taking a fishing hiatus and they were both studying in art school in Victoria, BC. She soon after convinced him to get back on the water, and they’ve been fishing together ever since! Now often alongside their two teenage children.

miniboatMajestic Warrior minifishSpot prawns, sablefish minihookTrapping & trolling minilocationNorthern & Mid Coast

Rick is a fourth generation fisher, hailing in from Nanaimo, BC. He has fished salmon up and down the coast for as long as he can remember! Fishers know his boat to be spotless - impressive, as he rarely misses an opening.

miniboatRed Bone minifishSockeye & Chinook Salmon minihookGillnetting minilocationWest coast of Vancouver Island, Alberni Inlet & Somass River

Bretton has been learning the ropes of oyster farming for several years now, establishing her company on the Sunshine Coast in 2020! Originally from Alberta, facing a future of sitting in an office as a food security consultant she instead pursued an off the grid lifestyle moving to the wild west coast. She is a strong voice in advocating for greater food security, believing that people should be able to have simple, dignified work that pays well and nourishes their community.

miniboat minifishPacific oysters minihookGrown and harvested minilocationSunshine Coast, BC

Lee hails from Metchosin B.C on Vancouver Island, and got his start working at a marine boat rental shop in high school. He met fellow Skipper Otto fisher Guy Johnston by chance in 2005 at the docks in Cowichan Bay. Guy owned an oyster farm and needed harvesters, so Lee gave him a helping hand, and learned to harvest prawns and salmon. 18 years later they are still fishing together and Lee now skippers Guy’s new “Michelle Rose” boat solo in the waters around Haida Gwaii for salmon.

miniboatMichelle Rose minifishPink Salmon minihookTrolling minilocationNorth of Haida Gwaii

Dave Martynuik

Introducing Dave Martynuik our new halibut fisher!

miniboatLaur-Inda-Lee minifishHalibut minihookBottom longline minilocationSoutheast coast of Haida Gwaii
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Dave Martynuik


John is a multi-generation fisher - he’s pretty sure he went from the hospital directly to the fishing boat. He has been fishing with his dad and grandfather for as long as he can remember, and now often fishes the coast with his nine-year-old son Riley. John is from the Kwantlen First Nation in Fort Langley, but now lives in Port Alberni and is married to a Tseshaht fisher who also fishes her own boat in the commercial community economic opportunity fishery.

miniboatSilvermate minifishSockeye & Chinook Salmon minihookGillnetting minilocationWest coast of Vancouver Island, Barkley Sound & Alberni Inlet

Gordie, a third generation fisherman, fishes salmon runs all along the BC coast. He has been fishing since he was a 10-years-old with his grandpa, and once turning 11 he started deckhanding for his older sister. At 16 he started fishing on his own, and has continued now for over 50 years.

miniboatSure Thing minifishSockeye, chinook, pink, chum salmon minihookGillnetting minilocationWest coast of Vancouver Island & North Coast of BC

Guy has been fishing for over 40 years, and feels fortunate to have fished with his family for many years. His two children, Sebastien and Rosalie, have been crew and fished with him since high school, and fishing with their dad helped both of them go to university. For over 18 years he has also been a mentor and friend to our new salmon fisher Lee Gallagher. Guy now semi-retired, still spends much of his time in the off season advocating for independent fishers in BC.

miniboatMichelle Rose minifishPink Salmon minihookTrolling minilocationNorth of Haida Gwaii

Doug is a multi-generation ‘Namgis First Nation fisherman. Doug fished with his grandpa in the 1960’s and has fished ever since. His children join him as crew on some trips. Learn more about Doug and how he fishes halibut on our blog!

miniboatPaper Chase minifishSockeye, Chinook & Pink Salmon, Halibut minihookBottom longlining minilocationMost areas of the BC coast

Clint began fishing as a teenager alongside his uncle, and has now been fishing with Bruce Martinelli for just over a decade. While he joins Bruce (as well as Rex and Pilar) as crew for some of the early season trips, he heads out on the same boat as skipper with own crew later on in the season.

miniboatTantrum No. 1 minifishAlbacore Tuna minihookTrolling minilocationWestcoast of Vancouver Island & Haida Gwaii

Luura (Laurent) has memories of his grandparents departing for fishing trips by dog sled when he was a young boy. When Luura goes fishing these days, he goes out alone and punches a hole in the ice by hand with a steel chisel, even when the ice is more than five feet thick! Luura loves fishing and catching healthy, delicious Arctic char for relatives that are no longer able to get out on the land themselves.

miniboatSnowmobile minifishArctic char minihookGillnet and auger minilocationNunavut

Truong was one of the boat people who fled Vietnam in 1975, and he ended up in Campbell River, BC. He took up fishing when he arrived, and has now been prawning for over 30 years. His sons and daughter have prawned alongside him over the last decade.

miniboatWestern Sun minifishSpot prawns minihookTrapping minilocationCentral coast of BC

Dean, a third generation fisherman, fishes salmon runs all along the BC coast. He has been fishing since he was a kid and still fishes alongside his father, Danny a fellow Skipper Otto fisherman.

miniboatOld Style minifishSalmon minihookGillnetting minilocationMost areas of BC Coast

Jamie first learned to fish from his uncle and cousin, growing up in Naujaat. He continues to share these skills with family and friends, making the trek out to the fishing grounds, bringing along whoever is available and wanting to learn to fish! When Jamie isn’t fishing, he is being kept busy by his many grandkids.

miniboat minifishArctic Char minihookGillnet and auger minilocationNunavut

Natasha is a multi-generation cisaa?th (Tseshaht) First Nation fisher who fishes salmon on her custom-built aluminum boat in Alberni Inlet/Somass River with her daughters aged 21 and 10. She is a Tseshaht First Nation Councillor holding the economic development portfolio and has just completed her SFU Indigenous Business Leadership Executive MBA.

miniboat minifishSockeye & Chinook Salmon minihookGillnetting minilocationWest coast of Vancouver Island, Alberni Inlet & Somass River

Willard is a multi-generation cisaa?th (Tseshaht) First Nation fisher, who grew up fishing with his dad and older sister, Natasha in Alberni Inlet/Somass River. He contiues to fish with them, as well as with his kids! His teenage son, Dean and Natasha's adult daughter, Mercedes both a key part of their operations this season.

miniboat minifishSockeye & Chinook Salmon minihookGillnetting minilocationWest coast of Vancouver Island, Alberni Inlet & Somass River

Bruce has been fishing for over 30 years. His wife, Pilar, and their young son, Rex, often join him on some trips. Rex being particularly fond of the ones which include some beach days! Bruce and his brother Steve grew up in a lighthouse on the BC coast and are the first fishermen in their family. Read more of the Martinelli's stories from the sea on our blog!

miniboatTantrum No. 1 minifishLingcod, Sablefish, Rockfish, Halibut & Albacore Tuna minihookBottom longline & Trolling minilocationWestcoast of Vancouver Island & Haida Gwaii

Richard is a fourth generation fisher who hails from Sointula, BC. And actually fellow Skipper Otto fisherman, Cary Williams first cousin! He first started fishing when he was 12 years old, and has been on the water for over 23 years, captaining his boat and crew for just over 10 years now.

miniboatSointula Sky minifishSpot prawns minihookTroller minilocationBroughton Archipelago

Rod Roberts has been fishing salmon since 1969 and was part of the original Skipper Otto fishers, alongside Otto! Now in his 80's, Rod resides in Nanaimo, BC - just close enough to make it over for the salmon openings in Barkley Sound and Alberni Inlet, but now fishing alongside Shaun. Rod has maintained and still fishes the same boat, now often joined by his son, Shane. On the more leisurely trips, Shane's young daughter will also be onboard, now learning from her dad and grandpa.

miniboatStrider minifishSockeye Salmon minihookGillnetting minilocationWest coast of Vancouver Island, Barkley Sound & Alberni Inlet

Dafne’s approach to kelp harvesting is well-researched and thoughtful. She harvests her product by hand and chooses to collect less than 10% of kelp beds in order to leave a healthy and sustainable marine canopy. After harvest, the product is gently dried to maintain the most nutrients.

miniboat minifishKelp minihookHand harvested minilocationCoastal waters of Haida Gwaii

Les, a multi-generation cisaa?th (Tseshaht) First Nation fisher, first learned to fish from his dad in the Alberni Inlet/Somass River runs. Les has and continues to be instrumental in fisheries policy, currently on council and holding the fisheries portfolio for the Tseshaht First Nation. An essential part of our operational logistics, he now is often fishing with his two sons and grandson.

miniboat minifishSockeye & Chinook Salmon minihookGillnetting minilocationWest coast of Vancouver Island, Alberni Inlet & Somass River

Richie is a first generation fisher. Having worked on boats as mechanic in his early life, he decided to take the plunge and pursue fishing as a career. That was 40 years ago -- he's been fishing ever since!

miniboatSurf Isle minifishSablefish minihookBottom longline minilocationHecate Strait

Paul is the founder of Salt Spring Island Mussels. Paul grew his mussel farm from just a tiny operation to now supplying restaurants across Canada, all while staying true to the values of community, environmental conservation, and living wages that we hold so dear. He credits his amazing and talented team for all this success and is very forthcoming about all the trials and tribulations of getting to where they are now.

miniboat minifishMussels minihookGrown and harvested minilocationSalt Spring Island & Desolation Sound, BC

Angutimarik was introduced to us through Darryl, as he's Darryl's uncle. also a multi-generational Inuit fisherman from Naujaat, Nunavut. Angutimarik started fishing as a young boy, and is proud to have now taught his own sons how to travel safely on the land so they can continue a traditional lifestyle of hunting, fishing and providing for their community.

miniboatSnowmobile minifishArctic char minihookGillnet and auger minilocationNunavut

Darryl Siusangnark is a professional harvester who makes his living off the land around Naujaat in Nunavut, and is a key provider of fish for his community, supplying food for elders, food-insecure households, family, friends, community feasts, and commercial sales. He started fishing with his father in early childhood and has been fishing on his own since he was 18. The way he fishes is a bit different from our other fishermen. Along with other Inuit fishers in his community, Darryl braves frigid weather conditions and travels across the wintry tundra by snowmobile to catch fish from below the ice of frozen lakes using an auger and gillnets. Check out Darryl's story on our blog!

miniboatSnowmobile minifishArctic char minihookGillnet and auger minilocationNunavut

Toan is a third generation fisher and her passion for fishing started when she was a child, her grandfather was a fisher and she was then taught by her father, who owned and operated many fishing boats in Vietnam. She moved to Canada with her family, and has now been fishing for over 30 years. Her vessel is named after her youngest child, and although none of her children fish with her, she often has the help of her husband, Hong, on board as her crew.

miniboatBrian N minifishSockeye Salmon minihookGillnetting minilocationWest coast of Vancouver Island, Barkley Sound & Alberni Inlet

Francis is the first in his family to fish, and has kept at it for over 10 years now! He happened on the profession by chance, when visiting his aunt and happened to find work as a deckhand on the Ta-Nika one summer. Once he decided it was going stick went on to purchase that same boat. He resides in Saanich with his wife, Julia and their young family. Although his children are still a bit too young for the summer trips up the coast, he looks forward to teaching them and having them onboard future trips.

miniboatTa-Nika minifishPink & Coho Salmon, Rockfish minihookTrolling minilocationNorth of Haida Gwaii

Cary is a fourth generation fisher on both sides of his family. His brother and cousins all currently work alongside him on the boat depending on the season. He is based out of Sointula, BC which is where his family has lived and worked for generations. Cary started fishing with his dad when he was 11, but had been on the boat for as long as he can remember.

miniboatIsland Sun minifishHake & rockfish minihookMid-water trawling minilocationWest coast of Vancouver Island

Read more about our fishing families' stories over on our blog.

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Aaron

Member since 2018

"Love the fish and seafood we get from Skipper Otto’s. My husband is from Atlantic Canada and we had a hard time finding fresh and delicious seafood prior to joining Skipper Otto’s. Highly recommend joining to any of my friends!"