STEVESTON SPOT PRAWNS & SEAFOOD

Justin Taylor, Brianna Stylianou, Quinn Morimoto

Steveston fisherman Justin Taylor got his first taste of fishing when he and his father would travel the B.C. coastline in search of salmon. Much of the time they travelled in a caravan of boats with his father’s friends; the majority of them were Nikkei fishermen from Steveston who also had their children on board.

He recalls, “The thrill of the chase while gillnetting salmon and the camaraderie that went with it is what got me hooked on fishing and still fuels my drive and passion towards all the fisheries I am currently involved with. Even as a boy I remember valuing the idea of getting paid based on the performance of the boat, promoting hard work, and cultivating a hunger for the catching and the strategy involved to do so.”

Fishing became part of our culture and way of life at a young age. ~ Justin Taylor

Justin is the founder of Steveston Spot Prawns & Seafood and he is also the skipper of the vessel Just Travlin’. Skipper Quinn Morimoto and crewman Yoshio Sakiyama join him. Kris Robinson and Mike Stylianou round out the crew. The skippers have 19 years of experience in the commercial spot prawn, Dungeness crab, salmon, and herring fisheries.

Justin, Quinn, and Yoshio are all third-generation Steveston fishermen.

Justin’s great grandfather, Yoshimatsu Nishihama, was a fisherman from Mio, Wakayama, Japan who immigrated by boat to Canada’s west coast in search of more bountiful fishing and a better life. He settled in Steveston where Justin’s grandfather Shigeharu Nishihama was born in 1914.

His grandfather followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming a second-generation Nikkei fisherman. He was interned in a prisoner of war camp in Ontario and lost his two fishing boats. In spite of this, he persevered and re-established himself as a Steveston fisherman.

“Unfortunately, I never did get to go fishing with my grandpa or even share in any of his fishing stories. However, I was fortunate that my father’s family emigrated from Saskatchewan to Steveston, where he met my mother and made a lot of friends in the fishing community. He would eventually join many of his friends in becoming a commercial fisherman, giving me the experience and opportunity to carry on a Steveston tradition,” says Justin.

Yoshio Sakiyama’s grandparents Kumataro and Aiko Sakiyama were 19 when they came from Japan to Steveston and then were sent to an internment camp. Yoshio’s father Allan Katsuji Sakiyama was a commercial fisherman his entire life until the day he passed away.

Yoshio recalls, “As kids we spent a lot of time with him in the net shed, collecting lead while he worked. He knew everyone; it seemed we never made it very far without stopping to chat with everyone in Steveston.”

Quinn Morimoto's grandfather was a fisherman from Wakayama, Japan.

He mentions, “My late uncle Bobby Morimoto was my true inspiration. He was a fisherman from a young age and then went on to become the founder of Steveston Seabreeze Adventures. Uncle Bobby was the first person I went salmon fishing with in the Fraser River. We shared a passion for fishing and it is because of him that I am a proud fisherman today."

Being a fisherman is who I am, it’s in my blood. I have had a passion for the sea since I was a child. ~ Quinn Morimoto

Steveston Spot Prawns & Seafood was formed in 2010. The sale of live, locally caught spot prawns directly off the boat to customers began in 2016. In addition to live spot prawns, the company also fish for wild catches of Dungeness crab and salmon when available.

A team of friends and family assist with the sales operation at the dock including Tara Doi, Eveyln Kuit, Paula Morimoto, Tony Morimoto, Michael Sakai, and Brianna Stylianou.

Sales manager and team leader Brianna Stylianou comments, “I developed a passion for fishing years ago. Quinn would take my family fishing and would be very detailed at explaining the roles of a skipper, deckhand, and so on. I was amazed by his knowledge of the sea, the weather, and staying safe. I admired all of the fishermen’s hard work and dedication in preparing for each fishery. Days spent at the dock I met so many local people and loved hearing stories about what Steveston means to them, about their past family members who were fisherman but most importantly how they planned on feasting on their spot prawns later that evening.”

Each morning, before 5:00 a.m., the boat leaves port and steams to their fishing grounds from the Gulf Islands to the Sunshine Coast, providing access to pristine and bountiful ocean conditions to fish for spot prawns. The fishermen begin hauling their traps promptly at 7:00 a.m. Wild-caught live spot prawns are harvested with baited traps set at depths varying from 180 to 480 feet from the fishing vessel.

Trap by trap, their catch of spot prawns is immediately placed into a live tank with conditions similar to that of their natural environment. This includes minimal light and aerated water, chilled down to a temperature of 2 degrees Celsius, and balanced appropriately for salinity (salt) levels. By minimizing the amount of time the prawns spend out of cold clean water, they remain vibrantly alive - ensuring the highest possible quality of this organic, healthy, and protein-rich delicacy.

The livelier the spot prawns are, the fresher they are, and the better they will taste when you bring them home to enjoy!

From a fishing perspective, the spot prawn season is a short and intense wild fishery. With its high initial outlay of costs (license leases, bait, gear, fuel) it can be a risky venture and adds a lot of pressure to be successful. It is exciting from a consumer perspective since live B.C. spot prawns are only available for purchase for $20 per pound or less during this short fishing season. The rest of the year, live spot prawns are imported from the United States and typically cost over $30 per pound. Understandably, customers want to get their fill of this delicious local product at a reasonable price while it lasts. It is not uncommon to see line-ups along Fisherman’s Wharf at the beginning of the season.

This year sales will take place from the fishing vessels Dual Venture and/or Just Travlin’. The boats will be moored at Fisherman’s Wharf and will be marked with Steveston Spot Prawns & Seafood signage.

The boats will be moored from the beginning of spot prawn season, which will begin May 26, 2021, at the earliest, (stay tuned for the government announcement on the official opening date) until mid-October which marks the end of the Dungeness crab season.

Live spot prawns are available for purchase every day during the short 30 to 40 day season beginning at 6:30 a.m. until they sell out. Crab sales hours will be announced closer to the start of the season (June 16, 2021). The season generally runs from mid-June to early October.

Subject to healthy and harvestable stocks, Sockeye salmon are sold from August to early September. Hopefully, this will take place again in 2022. Chum salmon and Chum salmon roe are sold from late October to mid-November. All seasons and harvests are determined by government assessments on stock abundance and therefore the ability to harvest sustainably.

Steveston Spot Prawns & Seafood’s off-season is from December until the herring fishery in early March each year. December and January are spent on vessel and fishing gear repair and maintenance, year-end paperwork and administration, and time for the fishermen and staff to spend time with their families. February is spent preparing for the herring fishery.

Like all businesses, Steveston Spot Prawns & Seafood developed and adhere to strict COVID-19 protocols based on provincial health guidelines. As a team, they have diligently followed these protocols to ensure the utmost safety of their products and the environments in which they have been harvested and sold to consumers.

During the pandemic, people have been spending much more time preparing meals at home, resulting in an increase in spot prawn sales. The company promises to do its best to catch and sell as many spot prawns as possible to fill the demand.

The rewards of working in this industry are greater than Justin ever imagined.

Being able to provide our delicious locally wild-caught seafood products directly from the ocean to appreciative customers in a sustainable manner and the pride that comes with it is so rewarding. It is incredibly satisfying to earn a living doing something we love, based on the performance of the team and the boat and care for the product, while preserving the history, culture, and way of life of the fishing generations before us from our home town and port of Steveston.

Follow Steveston Spot Prawn & Seafood’s Instagram and Facebook pages for updates about wait times at Fisherman’s Wharf, recipes, and pre-order information.

www.stevestonspotprawns.com