DELTA HAS ITS HISTORY DEEPLY ROOTED in fishing and farming. Based on the community work Richard Mayer has undertaken in Ladner and the surrounding locales, this post is focused on fishing, an activity being pursued since time immemorial when indigenous peoples of the southern coast of British Columbia were fishing for subsistence, social and trade purposes. With wild Pacific salmon runs returning in the millions to their natal watersheds via the Fraser River, the sheer abundance of these iconic fish also attracted settlers who would make Delta home, where fishing commercially provided both subsistence and livelihood.
John Stevens (pictured left), President of the Delta Fishing Heritage Society (DFHS), is a 4th generation Deltan residing on the river in Ladner with longstanding family ties to fishing… he is no stranger to this historical connection with the Fraser River and its bountiful harvest. John and Richard first connected in 2015 when Richard was exploring concepts for a Ladner Village Revitalization Project (LVRP) that envisioned murals illustrating the rich fishing and farming history of Delta at strategic locations throughout the community… John was the ideal person to connect with on Delta’s fishing history, given his background and initiatives being undertaking by DFHS.
An immediate friendship blossomed between these two individuals, fuelled by common interests springing from differing backgrounds… John as a bonafide commercial fisherman who is active today, operating his own gillnetter… Richard as a creative professional who lives and breathes marketing, who moved to Ladner in 1988 with his wife and young family of two. The fish boat images featured in this post reflect one of several creative passions that complements Richard’s design work… photography.
John recommended that the Experience Delta magazine seek Richard out as one of the images that appealed to the magazine was an earlier image he had shot of fish boats moored in Ladner Slough at the entrance to the harbour. While a good photograph from a subject point-of-view, the orientation needed to be vertical, not horizontal… this motivated Richard to capture fresh fish boat images for the front cover of the Spring 2019 issue of Experience Delta.
As the Spring 2019 issue will include a multi-page feature on Delta fishing from a historical perspective, this provided all the more reason to get ‘out there’ and shoot, shoot, shoot! Et voila… blue skies and sunny weather through a day of shooting captured the fish boats featured in this post!
Stay tuned for further updates on Delta’s rich fishing history as a feature in the Spring 2019 issue of Experience Delta, Ladner Village renewal initiatives and, of course, more of Richard’s stunning photography!
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