Joel and Melissa Collier, along with their two children, live in Courtenay, BC. Joel took over his parents fishing business in 2015 and supports his family by fishing scallops, lingcod, salmon and halibut.

Joel comes from a long line of fishermen on his mother’s side—the Larson family has been fishing for nearly a century. Great Grandpa Larson built the fishing boat Seafarer while living in Larson’s Bay in Lund, BC, and was already fishing with Granny Larson by the time their son Elmer (Joel’s grandfather) was born in 1926. Over time, this family tradition continued, culminating in Joel learning the ropes from his father and helping run their own fishing boat, the Lisa Jess, purchased in 1990. The family hopes to uncover even more details about their rich fishing heritage with further research.