Justin Taylor
Brianna Stylianou
Quinn Morimoto
STEVESTON SPOT PRAWNS & SEAFOOD: Hooked on Fishing Story by Sarah Gordon
Photos submitted
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 8
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.
StevestonInsider.com
April - May 2021
