Interview With Bruce, Pilar & Rex Martinelli!

Bruce, Pilar and Rex Martinelli are back for an interview to talk lingcod and tuna fishing, favourite recipes, family life on and off board, and why they love working with Skipper Otto and eating Canadian sustainable seafood.

If you missed their last story, Pilar writes to us about having their toddler, Rex, on board, the link to that story is here.

Why did you start lingcod fishing?

Bruce says, “We started lingcod fishing as something extra to do instead of salmon fishing because salmon is restricted to the summertime.”

Pilar started fishing when she married Bruce. She says, “I started fishing with Bruce because I wanted (us) to be together and that meant being on board. The reason why we bring Rex along is because we’re a family and as a family we do everything together and that includes fishing!”

What is the biggest challenge with having a little one on board?

Pilar says, “The first year fishing with Rex, the biggest challenge was getting him to sleep on board, the second year the biggest challenge was getting him to sleep and getting him off the controls. The 3rd year will be a whole other mystery that awaits us.”

What is the biggest challenge for an independent fisherman?

Bruce says, “The biggest challenges are marketing, regulation, getting paid for the fish and consistency. Every year is different, so we try and make a consistent living out of it. Catching the fish is not the biggest challenge.”

Why is Skipper Otto important to you?

“Skipper Otto is important to us because it’s a different model from us to the consumer. They seem to be doing it with less people involved, its traceable and it’s a consistent market for us and it’s a consistent one for the consumer. It’s nice to see a new way of doing things other the old model that is broken, in my opinion.”

What’s it like having the family on board?

“It’s wonderful to have my family on board. It’s very challenging with the little guy to keep him safe because the boat rolls around a lot in rough weather, but it’s definitely worth the effort–makes the time go by a lot faster”, says Bruce.

What do you like to do in your off time?

In our off time we like to be outside as much as possible, in the garden, with our goats, on hiking trails, and we have a great little rowboat we like to toy around with in the summer.

What is your favourite seafood recipe?

"One of our favourite seafood recipes to prepare is our lingcod fish tacos. I love using the cheeks, they’re tender and its easy because they are already cut up into taco pieces."

What does a living wage mean to you?

"A living wage means enough to pay our living expenses, just so we’re comfortable doing what we are doing and can have a little holiday in the winter. We know we’re not going to get rich fishing, but we have a great life doing it."

Any good stories about having Rex on board?

Pilar says, “A good Rex story is when he was four months old, his ‘stateroom’ on the boat was a closet. We had a little basket that he slept in.”

Bruce adds, “My favourite story is when we were fishing last year, Rex being in the wheelhouse with mom, I was in the back and could hear the freezers turn off. Every switch he could turn and all the navigation equipment had to have duct tape covers on it because stuff would just turn off unexpectedly.”

Thank you very much to Bruce, Pilar and Rex for their visit to Fishermen's Wharf! It was a great treat for our members to be able to meet this amazing fishing family in person after seeing them so often on their labels! You can check out the full video of their interview here!

If you're not already a Skipper Otto member, you can sign up for our 2020 fishing season here. If you are a Skipper Otto member, we're excited to announce that gift memberships and top-ups are now available to purchase online!