Victoria fisherman Bob Fraumeni is used to the challenges of the sea, having worked on fishing boats since he was 12 years old.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But there was little he could do to salvage his haul of herring last week when \u201chundreds of sea lions\u201d piled into the nets in the Northumberland Channel, close to the Duke Point on Vancouver Island, to feast on the catch over two nights.<\/p>\n
To make matters worse, the catch was intended to raise money for an annual charity sale to help children with cancer, forcing the event to be postponed from last weekend to this Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey came and jumped in our net,\u201d said Fraumeni, 68. \u201cSo we couldn\u2019t get any herring because we had to release the net, and let the sea lions swim away with the herring. The sea lions all got a big feed, but nobody at home got anything. So we\u2019re all hungry still, but they\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fraumeni\u2019s boat, Star Wars 2 and other vessels were back on the water this week, finally securing a 75-tonne haul before dawn on Thursday that will be divided into 20-pound bags and sold on the Steveston waterfront for about $25 via an online ticketing system. Some will also be sold at Fraumeni\u2019s Finest at Sea restaurant in Victoria.<\/p>\n
Fishermen Helping Kids With Cancer has been holding the charity sale since 2011, an event inspired by the cancer battle of a commercial fisherman\u2019s 17-year-old daughter, who died days before the first sale that she helped organize. Funds go to the families of cancer patients at BC Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n
Phil Eidsvik, an organizer with Fishermen Helping Kids With Cancer, said sea lions seem to be \u201cmore aggressive\u201d this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe circle a net, and the net is full of fish, so they just jump over the corks, and then they have dinner all on the table for them,\u201d said Eidsvik.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd there are thousands of them, and I don\u2019t blame them for trying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eidsvik said fishermen tried to use a decoy boat to lure sea lions away and as soon as they were gone, the fishermen would set the net quickly and try to lift it out before the sea lions got in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty comical, actually,\u201d said Eidsvik.<\/p>\n
Fraumeni said sea lions are hungry year-round, the huge mammals consuming a vast quantity of food to stay warm. Herring, with their high protein and oil content, \u201cfix them up nicely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only problem is we have to be careful because if they get tangled in the net, they\u2019ll get killed, and they\u2019re on the endangered species list,\u201d said Fruameni.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In Canada, Steller sea lions are listed as a species of special concern.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Retired fisherman Glenn Budden, a volunteer with Fishermen Helping Kids With Cancer, said the boats went out around dark on Wednesday to look for herring again, and he spent the night monitoring and tracking them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI woke up in the morning at one o\u2019clock, and they still didn\u2019t have fish, and at three o\u2019clock they still didn\u2019t have any fish, and then I heard my phone buzz at about six o\u2019clock, going \u2018we finally have fish,’\u201d recalled Budden.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said the fishermen \u201cfinally found a place where there were no sea lions,\u201d allowing them to get their nets around a school of herring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At Trites Road on the Steveston waterfront on Thursday, engines were rumbling and seagulls were circling as fishermen in black boots unloaded the catch from Star Wars 2.<\/p>\n
Tonnes of herring were poured into giant baskets, awaiting Saturday\u2019s sale, while a fat seal waited next to the vessel in the hope of a handout.<\/p>\n
Videographer Yann Guerin had been on Star Wars 2 last week to document the fishing.<\/p>\n
He said he had seen sea lions on whale watching tours. But nothing prepared him for the \u201cmind-blowing\u201d onslaught of the mammals as they rushed the boat.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was amazed because it\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve seen something like this, but for the fishermen, it was just like a regular Wednesday, just like we see birds at the park, you know,\u201d laughed Guerin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the docks on Thursday afternoon, having gone without sleep the whole night, he was exhausted but satisfied.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can go home and sell the herring to the people who are waiting. And the kids will get all their money. So I\u2019m very happy,\u201d said Guerin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Budden said there was a special feeling associated with the fishing industry collaborating on a good cause, while Fraumeni said fishermen who volunteered received letters and phone calls from families of children with cancer who received their support.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s quite heart-wrenching, some of the letters we get,\u201d said Fraumeni.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One letter from the mother of an eight-year-old cancer patient is shared on the website of Fraumeni\u2019s restaurant.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am getting all teary-eyed writing this, but I just want to let you know how much it means to our family and that we are very grateful for your hearts and our support through this journey, it makes it a little easier and keeps his spirits fighting,\u201d the letter says.<\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 15, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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