Inaugural Local Catch Canada conference unites Canadian seafood harvesters in Vancouver amid tariffs

Amid the talks of tariff-impacted sectors, one industry often left out to dry is B.C.’s fisheries.

“Seafood is often the forgotten food,” said Sonia Strobel, co-founder and CEO of Skipper Otto, a Community Supported Fishery and Local Catch Canada committee member, “when we think about food we think about farms, we think about agriculture.”

Strobel is one of 40 seafood harvesters, businesspeople and researchers who attended the very first Local Catch Canada Conference held in Vancouver last week from April 14 to 16. Local Catch Canada, founded in 2023, is a network focused on building a more resilient and equitable seafood system, with a conference that offers a space for harvesters and allies to share their knowledge and foster solidarity.

The conference comes at a critical time as the Canadian seafood industry faces the ongoing impact of international tariffs. Strobel says that around 90 percent of the fish caught in Canada is exported, while 80 percent of the seafood Canadians consume is imported, leaving Canada’s seafood industry in a vulnerable position. With China spending $300 million on B.C.’s seafood annually, China’s 25 percent tariffs imposed on March 20 could be a huge blow to B.C.’s seafood industry. This pressure results in smaller independent harvesters facing uncertainties.

Despite this, Strobel says the seafood industry has often been overlooked in conversations about tariff-impacted sectors. But she’s hopeful that by bringing attention to the impact on the seafood industry, they can strengthen the seafood systems in B.C. and Canada, ensuring it’s community-based and sustainable. “For 25 years or so, that’s been my mission, to raise awareness,” Strobel says.

By connecting harvesters from across the country, the organization hopes to amplify voices often forgotten, particularly as B.C. harvesters and Canadians begin to feel the impact of tariffs. Strobel says this is significant as seafood is not just a business for many of these people, “it’s a livelihood, it’s a way of life.”

For Strobel, it is special to host this inaugural conference in her hometown of Vancouver: “It’s inspiring for me to see fishermen from all across the country sharing their stories and seeing our way of life and our fishing community here.” The three-day 2025 conference featured presentations, panels and workshops led by harvesters. Strobel says this gathering has taken years of planning and she is proud to see this community with “fishermen from all coasts, from all lakes and rivers,” come together in Vancouver to share their knowledge.

Half of the attendees were also Indigenous, with several of them members of the Vancouver Island Tseshaht Nation, such as fishers Natasha Marshall and Melanie Cranmer, as well as Andy Olsen, the founder of Indigenous Fishers First, an organization dedicated to fostering partnerships between Indigenous fishers and communities.

Strobel says that centring Indigenous values and knowledge systems is a priority for Local Catch Canada, for example, by incorporating the Indigenous concept of interconnectedness. “When we think about how to manage fisheries, we think about the environment and we think about business, both things are connected. We can’t consider one without the other,” she notes.

For Strobel, the conference demonstrated that coming together in the face of economic uncertainty allowed them to offer each other support through learning. As the seafood industry in Canada continues to face uncertainties, Local Catch Canada hopes to continue to bring together seafood harvesters to ensure that those most affected by trade policies have a seat at the table.