The Best Little Seafood Market in British Columbia
Fresh Seafood & Friendly Service Since 1992
Committed to wild-only salmon products, The Fishery has delivered fresh seafood and friendly service since 1992. The owner, Arnie Hengstler, is a commercial fisherman from a family of fishermen and is committed to wild-only salmon products. He started selling his fresh catch in the Saturday Market in 1972. By 1992, he & his wife, Julia, opened The Fishery seafood market on Salt Spring Island with partners, John & Verna Elliott. Arnie & Julia assumed sole ownership of the store in 1995, branching out into their own gourmet line of canned seafood. Arnie continues to fish for salmon and live crab in order to deliver you the freshest and highest quality seafood.
About the Owner, Arnie Hengstler
Arnie Hengstler grew up in Richmond, BC, close to Steveston--a historic salmon fishing port. In fact, our canned fish is now sold in the historic Gulf of Georgia Cannery Gift Shop. Arnie spent many hours on his father, Kurt's, fishing boats. Though he fished for other captains in his early years, by the age of 15 Arnie skippered the 20 ft. African Queen to fish salmon in and around the Fraser River--pulling his net in by hand. At 19 years old , Arnie built his own fibreglass boat with Kurt, his father, & older brother, Ray. While Kurt built a more conventional stern-picker boat with the net pulled on to a drum at the stern, both Arnie & Ray built bow-pickers. For more on fishing vessel types see this handout from 
the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council.
Arnie still fishes salmon on Mahalo Kai--the boat he built with his father--but he now also catches crab aboard The Crab Dancer.
The method for crabbing is very different from how Arnie catches salmon--a method called gillnetting. For more on methods see this handout ( crabber p. 1; gilnetter p. 2) from the Alaska Department of Fish & Game--Division of Commercial Fisheries.
