All Joey ever wanted was to be in a boat. Watching (and helping) his father (Alfred) and grandfather (Benoit) fish for a living was enough to know he wanted to do the same. As soon as he was old enough he started fishing lobster with his father. In the summers in the early 1970s he worked with other local fishermen who were doing deep sea fishing tours.
At 19 years old he decided it was time to start his own business. Alfred had just gotten a new (to him) boat (the “Samantha Marie”) and Joey invested in some life jackets and life raft. Together with his dad they built a wharf and got ready to do deep sea fishing tours.
In the beginning it was very different from what you’d experience today. There was no internet in 1978. Advertising didn’t exist for businesses at this time so Joey would be available and hope that folks would stop in to go fishing. Many trips were a handful of people out with Joey thought it was possible to have up to 23 passengers. Joey would be available for 3 trips a day, 7 days a week through July and August.
We’ve seen many changes happen at Joey’s Fishing over the years. Growing this business while his family grew, Joey stayed dedicated to delivering a special experience to everyone who stepped foot on his boat.
His son Jamie followed in his footsteps, he loved being in the boat since he was a baby, often crawling into the bin with the fish to play. He got his captain’s license at the age of 18 and worked alongside Joey both fishing lobster and deep sea fishing for many years. Jamie started fishing lobster on his own in 2009 but remained a big part of Joey’s Fishing.
Fast forward a decade and, in 2019, Joey’s kids, Jamie and Julie Ann became the new owners of the business.
While Jamie was working alongside Joey all these years, Julie Ann went to University for her BBA and then MBA and worked in corporate roles in Calgary. After coming back home to PEI she started to take more interest in the family business and loves using her experience to help continue to grow the business and provide great experiences to all guests.
Joey still makes many appearances around the wharf and is happy to meet new folks as well as see those who have been fishing with us for many years. We appreciate everyone who joins us on the water, when you fish with Joey’s, you fish with family!