Skipper Otto
A Leader In Quality
And Sustainability.
Sonia and Shaun Strobel created Canada’s first Community Supported Fishery in 2008 to support small-scale, independent fishing families in coastal and Indigenous communities. Since then, Skipper Otto has grown into a nationwide leader for seafood system reform, and the best source of high-quality, fisher-direct seafood found in Canadian waters.
From Our Family To Yours
Skipper Otto was founded because Shaun’s dad, Otto, wanted to be paid a fair price for his catch and to be connected to other seafood lovers. As members told their friends, demand for their high-quality seafood grew. Shaun returned to fishing and now, Sonia and Shaun’s two sons, Oliver and Lyndon are the third generation of Strobel fishers. The Strobels are one of the more than 45 fishing families that feed thousands of families across Canada each year.
Woman-Led Organization
From her beginnings as a high school teacher and long-time participant in Community Supported Agriculture, Sonia set out to find a unique solution to the challenges she saw. To support small-scale fishers in their way of life, and ensure home cooks could buy wild and sustainably caught seafood. Today, as CEO, she leads the charge in our movement to build an alternative to the conventional industrial seafood system.
Meet Sonia
What Is A Community
Supported Fishery?
A Community Supported Fishery (CSF) brings people together around a shared desire to protect marine ecosystems while enjoying the ocean’s bounty. To thrive, community-based fishers need access to informed, local markets and fair pay for their work. And, seafood lovers who want the best quality and taste deserve an equitable food system anchored in sustainability and transparency. With a CSF, the direct connections between fishers and seafood lovers achieve these tangible benefits for people and the planet.
Our Community Partners
Our community partners are the vital link between Skipper Otto and our members. As our pick-up locations throughout Canada, these hard-working folks distribute orders year-round. If you’re interested in becoming a community partner, please get in touch with us to learn more.
Meet the Team
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Sonia Strobel headshot Sonia Strobel
Co-Founder and CEO
Sonia married into the Strobel family in 2001 and quickly became involved in helping connect Otto’s sustainably harvested seafood with friends and family in Vancouver. She worked in a variety of community-based organizations, non-profits, and as a high school teacher for many years, striving for social and environmental justice. Sonia has been a member of Community Supported Agriculture programs since the early 90’s and brought her knowledge of CSA’s to the family fishery, first conceiving of the idea for the CSF in 2008.
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Shaun Strobel headshot Shaun Strobel
Co-founder and Lead Fisherman
Shaun is Skipper Otto’s son, who began fishing with his father when he was just 7 years old. In addition to fishing, Shaun selects and maintains solid relationships with other fishermen and navigates the complex logistics of getting fish from the hands of our fishermen to the hands of our members. Dismayed at the dwindling salmon fishing fleet in the wake of the big business Seine fleet and fish farms, Shaun wrote an M.A. thesis at SFU on the labour history of fishing in BC. Shaun was a high school Social Studies teacher for many years, taught SCUBA diving, and is a technical diver.
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Chris Kantowicz headshot Chris Kantowicz
Chief Operating Officer
Chris has spent his career growing businesses that support environmental, social and cultural missions. He first worked with Skipper Otto in 2014 as their business coach at the Sauder School of Business’ Centre for Social Innovation & Impact Investing. Chris has an MBA from the Sauder School of Business at UBC and genuinely enjoys all his strategic business planning and financial management responsibilities.
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Alisha Mills headshot Alisha Mills
Chief Marketing Officer
Alisha brings more than 25 years of experience helping organizations grow through thoughtful strategy, authentic storytelling, and customer focused marketing. She believes the best marketing is built on understanding people, earning trust, and telling stories that genuinely matter. That belief, combined with her passion for helping purpose driven organizations thrive, is what drew her to Skipper Otto. As Fractional Chief Marketing Officer, Alisha works alongside the leadership team to shape marketing strategy, strengthen the member experience, and help more Canadians discover a better way to buy seafood while supporting the independent fishing families who make Skipper Otto possible.
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Alexa MacEwan headshot Alexa MacEwan
Director of Operations
Alexa first learned about Skipper Otto while involved in various food systems initiatives during her time at UBC. In combining her passion for food, conservation, nutrition (and travel!) she then moved abroad completing a MSc focusing in Fish Nutrition in Scotland. When she’s not talking about fish, she’s probably thinking about what she’s going to make for dinner, taking care of someone's dog or just spending time outdoors.
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Aaron Clark headshot Aaron Clark
IT Manager
Aaron has been a Skipper Otto member for many years and loves being a part of this food community. Aaron has a background in music composition, engineering and producing, as well as technology & systems. His diverse skillset, ability to learn quickly, and his can-do attitude make him a great asset to the Skipper Otto team
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Ravi Maharaj headshot Ravi Maharaj
Data & IT Specialist
Ravi is a marine ecologist joining the Skipper Otto team as the new IT and Data Specialist. He brings a unique blend of technical skills, passion for marine stewardship, and personable nature to provide operational support and community engagement to Skipper Otto. As an IT & Data Specialist he uses a variety of digital tools to optimize workflows and provide data-driven insights in support of Skipper Otto’s operations. He also provides hands-on support at the wharf with the Distribution Team, assisting with order fulfillment and community events. Outside of work he enjoys exploring BC by bike, playing music out of a dusty garage in East Van and learning about how the world works.
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Gordon Havelaar headshot Gordon Havelaar
Distribution Manager
Gordon is an SFU dance graduate, occasional CSA farmhand and a wool spinner. He is proud to be a part of the Skipper Otto CSF team and contributing to local food security.
Join Our Team
Skipper Otto is a great place to work! We are a certified Living Wage Employer, a Certified B Corporation™, and we value our people, communities, and environmental and social justice. We have a strong, supportive team with a growth mindset and a culture of positivity, creative problem solving, collaboration, and fun.
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