Featured in the Stowe Reporter: Trolling in the Deep
The best thing about Lynn Steyaart’s day is that first cup of coffee. After that, the hard work begins.
His work is an adventure. He’s not tied to a desk. Instead, he explores the high seas — for half the year, at least. The rest of the time, he’s in sales — selling the salmon he catches off the coast of Alaska.
Steyaart spends six months a year on his fishing boat, Honeywilya, trolling the water near Petersburg, Alaska, from May to November.
He returns home to Waterbury with 700 or 800 pounds of his bounty, and sells it to neighbors and wholesales it to stores and food cooperatives. Farmers markets? Most reject him because the fish are not Vermont products.
He sells his products by word of mouth. Customers can reach out to him directly to get a few pounds, or they can visit places such as the Hunger Mountain Co-op in Montpelier. The cost for the fish varies, depending on the species and cut.
In Alaska, Steyaart gets up before dawn, which can be as early as 3 or 4 in the morning. Then he and a deckhand work until dusk, about 9 p.m.