Taylor Fish Company

Quite the catch

Special to The Windsor Star

Published: Thursday, June 18, 2009

The family owned and operated Taylor Fish Company has been around for three generations. First established by Jim Taylor in the 1960s, it was in 2004 that the company decided "we would sell our own fish, with our own boat (the Taylor Maid)," says John Hyatt, who oversees the store.

A new facility in Wheatley was built, where wholesale and retail customers will find an abundance of yellow perch, pickerel, white fish, white bass and white perch. "We have licences to fish in Essex, Kent and Elgin counties, so we can follow the fish wherever they go."

Lake Erie, Hyatt explains, has the best lake fish in the world. "It's the most abundant, the freshest, the meatiest. We specifically catch the fish needed for the day, what our customers would want - we're not just out there catching a whole bunch of fish and hope that it sells."

Customers can purchase fish fresh, individually frozen, vacuum packed, whole or filleted. "Basically any format you want, we do. We try to provide our customers the freshest fish, from the water to the table."

Hyatt has years of experience in the industry, and has worked for companies which focused on volume. That's not the case at Taylor Fish Company, he promises. "What we focus on here is the quality of the fish. We provide a very good experience for the people that buy our product."

Taylor Fish Company is consistently grateful to its new and existing customers for supporting the decades-old business. Hyatt urges everyone to partake in the Hundred Mile Menu initiative.

"Eat the produce from your area. Look for local meats, beef, poultry, fish. It's been tough for some fishermen to make a go of it lately because of reduced quotas... we're asking people to support the industry. Not just us, but the local food industry as a whole."

Taylor Fish Company (419 Erie St. S., Wheatley) is open Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit Taylorfishcompany.com or call 519-825-7366.