Sustainable and Selective
Troll fishermen use hooks and lines, towed behind their vessels at low speed, to catch salmon. It is the slowest and most selective method for harvesting salmon. The hooks are attached to lures that imitate the salmon’s food, such as herring and squid. Each fish is individually caught and the line is pulled in with a hydraulic winch. However, fishermen must haul in each salmon by hand for the last 20 to 60 feet—a struggle in which the skill and agility of the fishermen is paramount.
Certification
Trolling has one of the lowest impacts on marine habitats and has one of the lowest bycatch rates compared to other fishing methods. For this reason, salmon trolling is currently certified as sustainable by Ocean Wise, a seafood certification system run by the Vancouver Aquarium. To improve the sustainability of the fishery, troll fishermen also [...]
Traceability
The West Coast Trollers Association is a partner in Thisfish, a seafood traceability system spearheaded by Ecotrust Canada. Thisfish sets out to make the seafood business more transparent and, well, less fishy. A growing community of trusted fishermen, fishing organizations, processors, restaurants and retailers—all dedicated to quality and sustainability—is currently testing this innovative system in [...]
Fishing Area
View West Coast Trollers in a larger map The West Coast of Vancouver Island, known as “Area G” by fisheries managers, is one of the most western points in Canada. Indeed, the motto of Ucluelet, the largest village on the outer coast, is “life on the edge.” It is a fecund region of rainforests fjords, [...]
History & Tradition
For thousands of years, First Nation fishermen on the West Coast of Vancouver Island went out to sea in small dugout canoes to search out and catch salmon using baited hooks and hand lines. While some things have changed, there is no denying that the culture and economy of the region is still intrinsically linked to salmon harvest.
