
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the ‘Fair Catch’ name of a new fishmonger business in Leaside refers strictly to fish.
Fact is that co-owners Rob Despins and his wife Genevieve Lemaire chose the name for its double meaning. Indeed, they are the new dedicated fishmongers at 1543 Bayview Ave., yet they’re also devoted NFL football fans. For anyone unfamiliar with the football fair-catch rule, in a nutshell, it is intended to protect the receiver or catcher of the ball.
Before opening their first fish shop, Rob spent two years studying and researching the responsible and sustainable fishing industry. He travelled from Vancouver to the east coast meeting with suppliers and talking with fishers, fish vendors, and customers.
This energetic couple both spent their youth around water. Genevieve enjoyed seafood from the shores of the St. Lawrence, while Rob fished and fileted rainbow trout from Northern Ontario streams. So, it’s no surprise that they met on a canoe trip Rob was leading on the Big East River in Arrowhead Park. They became fast friends, married, started their business, with sons Vincent, 12, and Benjamin, 15, getting to know the business and occasionally assisting in the shop.

Rob and Genevieve acted on a shared dream when they left their corporate jobs and took their entrepreneurial leap in risky times. Despite the warnings of family and friends, they opened their first fishmongers near Yonge and Lawrence during the pandemic, in April 2020. As Rob described the experience, “We expected the worst yet were prepared to weather difficult times for a few years. What surprised us was the community of shopkeepers and their loyal fans who regularly frequented the bakery, greengrocer, butcher and us, the new fishmongers. Everyone was working at home, had a little more time, and social media fueled imaginations with bread-making and creative culinary.”
The duo hadn’t planned on expanding, but loyal customers kept asking them to come to Leaside. When a commercial space became available, they knew it was a perfect second community for them. They opened in summer 2024 offering just enough product to serve a growing customer base, including fish smoked in-house. Smoked trout, salmon or finnan haddie, anyone?
Asked for tips, Rob suggested, “There are popular fish we don’t stock. We strive to provide customers with responsibly fished, sustainable fish. Buy fish in season and try grilling Ontario trout. Thanks to our customers and Leaside’s Business Improvement Association for promoting Fair Catch on social and by word-of-mouth, we’re building a sustainable fishmonger business.”
These dedicated fishmongers are proud of their dedication to sustainability. They are also proud, as they say on their Facebook page, to “be part of the Seafood Program and the Plastic Reduction Program run by our awesome partner Ocean Wise!”
According to the Ocean Wise website, “We work with thousands of fishers, restaurateurs and fishmongers who want to make it easy for consumers to support a healthy ocean. We are a globally focused conservation organization on a mission to protect and restore the world’s oceans. Through research, education, direct-action conservation and field projects, we empower communities to take action for ocean health and focus on tackling three major ocean challenges: overfishing, ocean pollution and climate change.”
Learn more: https://www.faircatch.ca or https://ocean.org.