When Michael Florian (pictured) first moved to B.C. from Montreal as a young man he took a job as a deck hand on the fishing vessel Taplow.
The Taplow was built in 1945 as part of the gumboot navy, the informal name of the Fisherman's Reserve, a reserve unit within the Canadian navy. Members of the gumboot navy were fishermen who would look for submarines while they were fishing.
Florian worked his way through the ranks fishing out of Prince Rupert, halibut fishing in the gulf of Alaska, and dragging and trolling for salmon, until he was able to buy the boat.
After 15 years as a commercial fisherman, Florian sold the boat but kept the name for his new company: Taplow Ventures Limited.
"It was a nice boat; it was a very lucky boat, and that's why when I left the fishing industry I kept the name," he explains.
Today, Taplow, the company, produces a unique seafood-based pet food called FirstMate. FirstMate's head office is located in Deep Cove and its manufacturing plant is in Chilliwack.
The idea for the pet food kibble was inspired by Florian's experience with guard dogs in the 1980s.
At the time, fish farms had guard dogs to protect their stock from predators.
Florian was selling fish feed under the name Taplow Feeds, and was told the dogs were eating the feed. The operators asked Florian if he could create a pet food that would satisfy the dogs' seafood craving and FirstMate was born.
"The dogs loved it," says Florian. As opposed to other products that just use the head and frames (bones, tail and skin) of the fish, FirstMate products are made from the entire fish, notes Florian.
It's made at a low temperature and (especially anchovies and sardines) is made on board the catching vessel, so it's very fresh, he adds.
The pet food uses a high-quality fish meal that is produced by cooking the fish at a low temperature to separate the oil and the meat, then drying the meat and grinding it into a powder so it's almost like flour.
Some fishmeal only contains 50 per cent protein and is not very digestible but Taplow's food contains 70 per cent protein and is very digestible, says Florian.
"It's a very high quality," he adds. That same fishmeal and oil is also used for Taplow's organic fish feed for aquaculture.
Among the fish used in the feed are local herring, sardines and anchovies.
FirstMate also produces pet food featuring Australian lamb, as well as a grain-free formula and a chicken-and-blueberry option.
"We're the only company that I know of that puts in a large amount of fresh blueberries into our food," says Florian.
The fresh or frozen blueberries used in the food are local, he notes.
In a few weeks, Taplow is planning to release its first line of canned pet food.
"That's very exciting for us," says Florian, noting the food will be produced in a human-grade cannery and will feature fish, chicken and turkey options for both cats and dogs.
FirstMate pet food is available at stores on the North Shore.
