(Photo credit: Shaun Strobel. Image: Oliver filling slurry onto fishing boat Eldorado) Not all economies run on dollars. This is especially true in community-based fishing. And I believe the lessons that kids learn growing up on the fishing grounds set them up for success in other realms of life, too. For the second summer in … Continued

(Photo courtesy of Lee Gallagher, of himself) Hailing from Metchosin B.C on Vancouver Island, Lee Gallagher got his start working at a marine boat rental shop in high school, which solidified what he always knew – that he wanted to work on the ocean. After high school, Lee enrolled at Camosun College in Victoria, and … Continued

(Photo courtesy of Shaun Strobel. Shaun and Lyndon Strobel on the Eldorado boat) This summer marked a big moment in the Strobel family — both our sons, Oliver and Lyndon, now have their faces on the salmon labels of fish they caught while fishing with their dad, Shaun! The idea for Skipper Otto was born … Continued

(Photo courtesy of Sonia Strobel. Les Sam smoked salmon) If we’ve learned a thing or two, it’s that fishers know the very best ways to eat and enjoy their catch.  On a past trip up to Port Alberni in 2021, Sonia and Chris paid a visit to the Tseshaht Nation, and one of our indigenous … Continued

(Photo courtesy of Shaun Strobel. Oliver Strobel on the Eldorado boat) My oldest son, Oliver, has been going out fishing with his dad, Shaun, and his grandpa, Otto, since he was 5 years old. It seems like just a couple of years ago that little boy was begging to go out fishing for the first … Continued

(Photo courtesy of Ritchie Shaw. The Surf Isle boat at the church in Smith Inlet circa early 1960’s) Along the coast of British Columbia, there is rich history of the fishing industry and with it come tales of the boats lovingly bought and restored by fishers and boat enthusiasts. A boat mechanic in his early life, … Continued

Pilar Martinelli, one of our lingcod fishermen, sent us this story about fishing as a family. Pilar describes the joy of including her toddler on their commercial fishing journeys! I find that most people are puzzled, worried, or shocked by the idea of taking a toddler on a working commercial fish boat, but for the … Continued

Pilar Martinelli, from one of our lingcod fishing families, sends this report from their ongoing lingcod fishing trip this month. This month’s story depicts the journey of a school of Pomfret fish along the Klaskino Inlet. Fishing is fishing. Day in, day out, there isn’t much variance outside the seas, winds, and weather. Some days … Continued