(Photo credit: Sonia Strobel. Image: Sonia and Melanie in Port Alberni – May 2024) Our members’ dedication to creating a different kind of seafood system is having a huge impact on the lives of fishing families and I want you to join me in welcoming our newest fisher, Melanie Fred-Cranmer, to the Skipper Otto Community! … Continued

(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 credit: Sonia Strobel, Skipper Otto team with fisher families) Summer might seem pretty far off to most of you, but this is the time of year when fishing families start thinking about and planning for the fishing season ahead. And what better way to prepare than to spend a meaningful couple of days in … Continued

(Photo credit: Sonia Strobel, Fishing boat Eldorado) I always find the change of seasons to be a powerful time for reflection. This year’s final day of summer and first day of autumn were particularly filled with nostalgia and reflection for me as we headed out on a boat repositioning trip. Boat repositioning trips are a … 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 Dave Martynuik, of himself) Fishing can be unpredictable, and from year to year, we do our best to plan what seafood is plentiful as well as what our members love to eat, and next to salmon, that favourite is halibut! So when we were introduced to Haida fisher, Dave Martynuik, earlier this … 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