VOYAGES & VENTURES
In the wild west waters of the 1970s, Alan Williams, a young fisherman from Victoria, bought his first commercial fishing vessel. It would not be the last. This is the story of Oban Ventures.
In the wild west waters of the 1970s, Alan Williams, a young fisherman from Victoria, bought his first commercial fishing vessel. It would not be the last. This is the story of Oban Ventures.
Half a century later, BC waters are the wild west no more. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has established oversight and licensing with stringent conditions, regulations, and management which allow our industry to become more ethical and sustainable. Oban Ventures is a proud member of the industry, utilizing cameras, satellite feeds, audits, electronic log books, and many other forms of validation—every pound out of the water comes with accountability.
The individual vessel quota system helps the few and longstanding fishing companies here in BC’s waters to stay afloat more easily. With rules in place dictating how long we can tow for certain species, how large the holes in our nets can be, what we do with the wrong species, and how we share with competitors, we can prevent our waters from being overfished, ensuring their populations will still be here for generations to come.
While Alan built his fleet (currently sitting at four large vessels) with the ultimate goal of providing for his children, his daughter Theresa, now steering the ship since 2009, does so with the goal of providing fish as a food source for her future generations. Having spent so many years on the water, she has seamlessly continued his legacy with the same care, integrity, and attention to detail her father inspired.
From deckhands straight out of school to old salts who’ve had their sea legs for decades, our crew spans multiple generations, most hailing from nearby coastal island communities. Providing staff members with steady employment and a safe work environment is paramount. That's why we follow ISO best practices for safety and sanitation, and utilize best-in-class German-engineered equipment. We want our crews on each vessel to know we've got their back.
In 2003, we expanded our operations to include aquaculture harvesting in addition to groundfish trawling on the open ocean. As a proud member of the BC Salmon Farmers Association, working with several companies that have farms of delicious, healthy salmon waiting for ethical pickup and processing has allowed Oban to schedule more reliable work for our crew, and provide fish all year round to consumers across North America.
Current population estimations point to a staggering 10 billion people inhabiting the planet by 2050. In order for us to successfully meet this world's increasing demand for seafood, growing food in our oceans is an absolute must.
Aquaculture operations in our marine environment mean farmers use the ocean to grow fish in various types of pens and then harvest them. Protein production from aquaculture has the lowest carbon footprint of all the proteins, using the least land, water, and energy resources, and can help reduce the pressure on wild fisheries. Aquaculture farmers are constantly innovating and evolving to be better, and to support the efforts to rebuild wild stocks around them.
Days are filled with incredible sunrises, the camaraderie of a tight crew, salty ocean spray in the air, and sharing a great meal after a day on the water. Oban Ventures is passionate about this industry, and we'll continue to push it forward and prove that it is possible to ethically harvest seafood for families across North America.
