The cost of groceries…
What else is there to say?
We all want to eat healthy, support local, and reduce the environmental impact of our households, but after years big box store price gouging and inflation, the ability to do so feels harder than ever.
Or so you might think.
“Local doesn’t always mean more expensive”, says Cory Siegner, co-owner and partner of The Fisherman’s Market, an online seafood grocery delivery service and collection of brick-and-mortar fish markets located throughout B.C. “We haven’t raised prices in years, in fact, our halibut sale this month is the least expensive it's been in years."
Since the early 2000s the team at The Fisherman’s Market, which was founded by childhood friends Geoff Austin and Adam Pearl, have made it their mission to bring high-quality seafood to B.C. residents at fair and affordable prices. Commercial fishermen by trade, Austin and Pearl had been fishing professionally since their teens until one life-changing day.
On their way home from prawn season in July 2002, Geoff and Adam hit a riptide, capsized, and sank. Having to swim out of an overturned vessel in frigid waters left a lasting impression on the duo. Already contemplating a life change, the founders embarked on a new adventure that would bring each of their families fishing legacies onto the shore.
Following the incident, The Fisherman’s Market was founded as a standalone fish market in Nelson, B.C. They have since exploded in popularity and expanded to locations in Kelowna, Kamloops, Gibsons, New Denver, West Vancouver, and a new location in Burnaby, each focusing on West Coast seafood staples like wild, B.C. halibut sockeye salmon, and other B.C. seafoods which make up about 80% of their business. Each location regularly sees line-ups out the door, especially in Gibsons where you can literally buy your fish fresh off the boat.
So what makes their “catch of the day” so special? Well, it’s the quality, but also the conviction and story that goes along with it.
“Fishing and the ocean are part of us”, explains Siegner. “it’s an age-old tradition for myself and our business partners, and it's part of who we are… I want people to be able to afford a crab dinner, we want people to be able to feed their families for a good price”. The majority of the seafood stocked and distributed by The Fisherman’s Market is locally sourced and in many cases still fished by their team. Once a fisherman, always a fisherman, founder Geoff Austin had just pulled the boat onto shore before Siegner jumped on the phone for this very interview.
Bringing their commercial fishing ethos to their new business meant years of grinding until Fisherman’s Market could stay afloat. A turning point in the company was marked by a shipwreck of another kind; the pandemic. “Thankfully we had planned to launch our website just a few weeks before the pandemic hit”, says Siegner. “We are in an old school industry, people still handwrite their invoices… we opened a makeshift online store and orders started rolling in, we had to start working night shifts at the shop”.
In the years that have passed, the website has been perfected, enabling The Fisherman’s Market to ship their frozen-on-the-boat fresh seafood throughout B.C. at the same affordable prices that you’d find in their shops. “Things in the food industry have gotten so expensive that people are telling narratives that are no longer true, but we believe that quality, sustainability, and affordability can be a reality”, Siegner says. “There are more deals to be had too if you’re shopping with us online especially, get on our newsletter, and shop sales, lots of deals to be had and a lot of money to save”.
The site is currently stocked with essential B.C. fare like fish market, prawns, shellfish, oysters, lobster, crab, king crab, salmon, and halibut. If you want a professional’s recommendation, Siegner says the spring salmon was particularly delicious this year.
So if you’re looking to enjoy local cuisine in the truest sense of the term, something plucked directly from our waters by people who live and work in our communities, then consider heading online, that’s where some of the freshest and most affordable seafood in B.C. tends to be.
You can also enter for a chance to win a $500 Gift Card from the Fisherman’s Market by entering our contest form below:
The Fisherman’s Market newest location is located at 4020 Hastings St in Burnaby. You can learn more and shop online at thefishermansmarket.ca.
