Gone fishin’

The County Catch opens in Northport

Providing Prince Edward County with a freshly caught supply of local fish is something Sleiman Al Jasem has done for the past few years, including two seasons at the Wellington Farmers’ Market. He has a following and has gained a reputation where people know where to find him and his fish. Three weeks ago, he opened up his first store, The County Catch in Northport, where the rustic farm building acts as a small processing facility and retail shop open to the public (watch for the roadside sign and you can’t miss the bright blue building).

For the 20-something Al Jasem, his Canadian journey began almost four years ago when his was the first Syrian refugee family to be welcomed to Prince Edward County, with help from sponsor Carlyn Moulton through PEC Syria. Canada was a country he knew nothing about and arriving here he didn’t speak a word of English. He went to school, learned some skills and found employment, gaining sufficient knowledge to be able to run his own business. He says the credit goes to the Deweys, whom he speaks of fondly. Kendall and Joanne Dewey, operators of Dewey Fisheries, took Al Jasem under their wing and taught him valuable skills and a trade. That branch of the story began when the Deweys watched SponsorLand, a documentary exploring the arrival of a Syrian refugee family in the County. The Deweys were looking for someone to help with their business, so they approached PEC Syria to see if Al Jasem would be interested in the opportunity.

The County Catch owner Sleiman Al Jasem stands outside his new retail location in Northport.

Attending Loyola Adult Education in Picton, he explains how a government-funded program offered students 20 weeks of paid work. “You can work anywhere and if you like it, you stay,” he says. Al Jasem hooked up with the Deweys who taught him how to process fish, as well as how to market the product. Al Jasem admits to not liking the fish business at first because he didn’t know anything about it. “I was young and it was very hard; I thought, it’s not for me and I don’t know how to do it.” He gave it some further thought, heard about the Loyola program, spoke to his teacher and decided to try it.

The Deweys took the time to carefully show him the ropes and he began to enjoy the process and the work. They taught him everything from scaling to knife technique to freezer temperatures, including how to write a receipt, which was a particular challenge. “Writing receipts is way harder than cleaning fish,” he laughs, as he explains speaking the words is much easier than writing them. “It was so hard to filet a fish, holding the knife, but I liked the people, Kendall and Joanne; they try so hard with me, they are so amazing people, they taught me everything.” He says there is a technique to fileting fish. “When you know how to do it, you like it; I started doing it and now I love it.”

Having worked with the Deweys at their Elmbrook Road location in Picton, it was time for Al Jasem to move on. “He [Kendall] said he wanted me to be able to depend on myself.” Once he decided the timing was right to take his business to the next level, he began looking for premises. “I found this location and it’s working right now,” he says, adding the COVID-19 outbreak has brought some challenges, but as he settles into the new location.

“I really love doing it because I see myself doing something and making somebody happy,” he said. “When I filet the fish and make it ready and have it there for people; they smile and tell me ‘thank you’.” It’s the many messages he receives from satisfied customers that really buoy this young man’s spirit. “People appreciate the delicious fish and I get so happy; that’s what’s good, to make other people smile.”

Al Jasem is used to hard work having worked since the age of 13. “I know what working is,” he says. “I always love to do something on my own, but I never know what it’s going to be.” He describes the opportunity to come to Canada as a huge experience for him. “I have seen a new language I never actually knew,” he says. “It was exciting when I came here to see people speak different and I thought I want to learn that, and I tried so hard to learn it.”

While Al Jasem doesn’t catch the fish himself, it is something he practised with Kendall and is something he hopes to be able to do eventually. “I love fishing, I loved being on the boat with a warm day going to work in the morning and I will have it one day hopefully, I’ll plan it.” Right now, there are simply not enough hours in the day because he is managing the operation by himself. “I need to make this work first and see how to supply more people; I will get someone to help me and then get a boat. It is nice when I have my own boat and fish myself; that will be something really good.”

With the season running from about March to November, he buys the fish from local suppliers, where the fish is caught daily in the Bay of Quinte and includes perch, pickerel, pike, white fish, rock bass and more. When he receives the freshly caught fish, he scales (or skins) the fish, then filets, washes, bags and labels it. Yellow pickerel is a favourite with his customers, followed by yellow perch, but he also hopes people will try something they haven’t tried before, white perch for example because he says it’s really good. Al Jasem has learned to process the fish quickly now. “I can do probably about five or six perch in a minute,” he says, adding that some have more bones. His favourite fish to filet is perch. “They are the first fish I learned on, that’s why I like it.”

Making people happy one fish at a time, he would like people to know the fish he supplies are all fillets. “People think its whole fish they have to clean, but it’s ready for the pan.” But he will sell fish dressed if requested, where he removes the guts and scales, and cleans the fish, so they only contain bones. “People love it,” he says. “They really like it and they come back again, they keep coming back, and they tell their friends.” The County Catch is located at 1023 County Road 15, Northport and is open daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sleiman Al Jasem can be reached at 613.919.4597 or sleimanalhsam@gmail.com.