Skipper Otto's Community Supported Fishery

Hope to see many of our Vancouver members past, present, and prospective, at this week’s Main St Farmers’ Market, 3-7pm.  I KNOW there’s a hockey game on, but if you come early, you can still make it home in time for the game!  The Market will have special Canucks promotions such as

So pop by and enjoy the festive atmosphere!  We are still accepting memberships for 2 more weeks, until June 15th.  After that, we may be able to accept further members, but there will be a $20 late-joining fee.  And, if you come to join in person at our markets, enjoy a free pack of lox on us as a welcoming gift.  Enjoy the sunshine!

Shaun and Otto are leaving on Tuesday, April 26th to deliver more fish to our members in Alberta and Saskatchewan!  If you live in Calgary, Saskatoon, or Regina, you will have the opportunity to meet Shaun and Otto in person, purchase some fish, and become a member for the 2011 fishing season if you haven’t already.  For more info on dates and times of events in your city, keep an eye on our blog, facebook, and twitter as details are finalized or drop us an email!

We have just received some preliminary info about our Vancouver Farmers’ Market schedule for 2011!  We are also working on some new signage and set-up for our pickups and our markets.  Our last Winter Farmers’ Market is this Saturday so pop by Nat Bailey stadium 10am-2pm to say hi.  Remember, if you sign up in person at our market this weekend, you’ll get a free 100gr pack of sockeye lox!  And also, as a reminder to 2010 members — please sign up by March 15th to guarantee your returning member’s spot in this year’s CSF.

The sun is up now on the Johnstone Strait and Gordon (Sonia’s dad) is helping Otto pick up the morning set. We gave him a crazy introduction to gillnetting when we made a dark-set to close to Blackney Pass.  The tide got us and we got pulled, net and all. through the pass.  We were half spun around in whirlpools and finally spit  out into Blackfish Sound, several miles from where we started.  We caught fish though.  250 or so overnight.  Fish were jumping all around just day was breaking, riled up by at least a dozen orcas swimming  right by the boat and diving  under our net.
All in all another good night.
Shaun

(Written by Shaun early this morning but re-posted by Sonia when I realized it didn’t post to the blog!)

Sleepless Nights is actually the name of our friend and fellow independent fisher Sasha’s boat.  He’s about a half  mile away from us and a big pod of orcas just ambled slowly between our nets. Most looked like juveniles but one was huge!
Sleepless nights are also the order of business in the upper Johnstone Straits.  Fishing is often very slow during the day but can be excellent at night.   Otto picked me up in Telegraph Cove this afternoon so I could take over some of the actual work of catching fish.   With some relief he just drank a beer and crawled into his bunk for the first time in 48 hours!  So I am sitting at the helm watching the net, the cruise ships, and the Orcas and waiting for it to get dark along with all the other gillnetters.  I am really hoping not to screw anything up so I can let the skipper sleep through at least half the night.
Shaun (2 nautical miles NW of Robson Bight)

(Shaun attempted to post this last night at about 8:30pm but it didn’t work so I am posting it now on his behalf! – Sonia)