The Ouellet family of Kamouraska and fishing from then and now
What’s that smell? And what’s that smoke coming out of the building? It’s from work being done by Bruno and Bernard Ouellet. But what are they doing? They’re smoking fish to preserve it and give it the distinctive flavour sought by gourmets from the region and beyond. Bruno and Bernard are the guardians of a family tradition that we will describe to you today.
Flavius Ouellet in his weir at Île aux Patins in Kamouraska.
In 1907, Flavius Ouellet, a farmer from Kamouraska, purchased Île aux Patins, Île Providence, and Île Brûlée, along with the fishing rights around these islands. This marked the beginning of an adventure that has continued to this day.
The village of Kamouraska in the early 1900s.
Commercial fishing is North America’s oldest industry. Long before the arrival of Europeans, Indigenous peoples frequented the shores of Kamouraska in order to obtain part of their food.
Maurice and Flavius Ouellet in the weir at Île aux Patins in Kamouraska.
The Ouellet family has been present in Kamouraska since the early 18th century. They have lived mainly from farming, but have also adopted fishing as a supplemental means of subsistence. In fact, they have turned it into a profession over the years. From spring to fall, in the early 1900s, Flavius Ouellet’s entire family moved to the islands where they engaged in intensive fishing. In 1950, his son Maurice bought Île aux Patins and continued the tradition of weir fishing there until 1967. He then decided to concentrate on his three eel fisheries downstream from Kamouraska.
Île aux Patins, around 1920.
Even though fishing around the Kamouraska Islands is less common today, it is still a viable activity. Since 1902, Flavius Ouellet has passed on his passion for fishing to his son Maurice and his grandsons, Bernard and Bruno Ouellet. In 1986, with the help of their uncle Maurice, these fishermen founded the company Pêcherie Ouellet.