BC Salmon to get Judicial Inquiry

It looks as though the Canadian government has appointed a judge to look into what is happening with the severely declining salmon stocks of the Fraser River. Of the 10-13 million expected to return this year, less than 2 million have. What are the causes? Global warming? Fish farms? I’m sure there is not one specific cause, but many compounding issues. What does this mean for the future of the salmon, the salmon fishing industry and our plates? Let me know what you think?

The following  is the article from The Canadian Press, Nov. 5, 2009:

Judicial inquiry into B.C. salmon fishery announced

How did more than nine million sockeye salmon disappear in the Pacific Ocean?

The federal government announced Thursday it will call a judicial inquiry into the collapse of the Fraser River sockeye fishery in hopes of answering that question.

Reaction to the inquiry ranged from elation to skepticism among those who have sounded the alarm for years over the state of British Columbia’s salmon stocks.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the inquiry Thursday in the House of Commons, calling the fishery collapse a “serious matter.”

“As the minister of Fisheries and Oceans has said on numerous occasions, we are very concerned about the low and falling returns of sockeye salmon in British Columbia,” he said.

Trade Minister Stockwell Day, the regional minister for B.C., is to announce details of the inquiry Friday in Vancouver, including the judge who will head the probe.

There’s been widespread alarm over the collapse of the multimillion-dollar sockeye salmon fishery on the West Coast in what was supposed to be a bumper year.

For the skeptics, the term “judicial” is important, because those who testify will have to do so under oath.

Alex Rose, who wrote a book on the collapse of the East Coast cod fishery, applauds Harper’s decision.

“We need people under oath to tell the truth about this terrible crisis,” Rose said. “I feel that DFO is intellectually bankrupt and they’ve been covering up for a long time the perilous state of our wild coho, while chinook and now our sockeye.”

Biologist Alexandra Morton believes fish farms are contaminating wild salmon as they migrate past farms in B.C.’s Broughton Archipelago, home to 60 such farms.

“I’m thrilled,” Morton said of the inquiry, especially because those who testify will have to do so under oath.

“So the people in DFO who have been working far more than I have on the Fraser River sockeye, they don’t have to go through the public relations department anymore, they can speak freely.”

Calls to the department seeking comment Thursday were not returned.

The federal Fisheries department estimated about 10.5 million sockeye would return to the Fraser River this year, but only about a tenth of that have shown up.

The huge shortfall has forced the closure of commercial sockeye fisheries and aboriginal food fisheries for Fraser River-based First Nations.

Chief Bob Chamberlin, chairman of the aquaculture working group of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, said he’s been watching a steady decline of salmon over the last few decades and says the inquiry is long overdue.

He also believes wild salmon pick up disease from the fish farms while migrating past them in the ocean.

Other theories on why the salmon didn’t return to the river after their four-year migration include warming water temperatures, new predators, changes to the food supply or, more likely, a combination of the above.

B.C. Environment Minister Barry Penner said he’s grateful for the inquiry and hopes it can answer for how the DFO predictions could be so far off.

“The ocean’s a big place, so I can understand there are a lot of unknowns. But I think it’s important that we have a public process so everyone can learn from this experience,” Penner said.

Federal opposition politicians were more cautious about an inquiry for which the terms of reference have yet to be released.

Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh, whose riding borders on the Fraser River, wants to see a broad-spectrum inquiry, that includes First Nations, scientists and Canadian and American interests.

“This is a very, very serious issue,” he said in an interview from Ottawa.

New Democrat fisheries critic Peter Julian said the terms of reference will indicate if the government is serious about solving the problem, or if it plans to just watch the fishery collapse like it did for Atlantic cod.

“It was the same kind of initial signs of collapse, a significant collapse, followed by government inaction,” Julian said, comparing the two coastal fisheries.

Steven Cooke of Carleton University, who holds the Canada Research Chair in fish ecology and conservation, said it’s unlikely a judicial inquiry will be able to answer fundamental questions about why so many sockeye salmon disappeared.

Cooke said there are large gaps in what scientists know about the fish, particularly when it comes to their lives at sea. He said the federal government has to fill those gaps before it can find a solution.

He’s also concerned that a judicial inquiry will only provide a podium for interest groups to make claims that aren’t based on science, and won’t help determine what needs to be done.

“There are all sorts of folks willing to go on the record with what appears to be absolute certainty that they know the cause,” said Cooke.

“And the reality is they’re probably all right, and they’re probably all wrong. Typically when there’s a crisis, it’s not one factor that’s the root cause.”

 

 

 

Check Me Out!

Check out my interview, “Chewing the Fat: An Interview With…” on Jackie Connelly Photograpy’s blog:

http://www.jackieconnelly.com/blog/2009/10/22/chewing-the-fat-a-foodie-interview-with-justin-faubert/

Thanks Jackie, it was fun!

 

Home Grow-in: Local Corner Store

I recently stopped into a store that you may be hearing quite a bit about recently. Home Grow-in Grocer is bringing back the residential corner store, but doing it in a way that is really upping the ante. They only sell products and produce that were made or grown in BC. I had heard of Home Grown-in for some time now, but honestly, if you don’t live in the neighbourhood, it is destination trip, albeit one that is worth it if you enjoy the best of this province.

You may have seen these odd little buildings around the city, sticking out from people’s homes with a door right on the corner. I’ve seen many types of businesses in these little shops, but they really lend themselves to the “corner store”, with that local neighbourhood feel that goes right along with Home Grow-in’s philosophy of only carrying local goods. On any given day you can expect to find local preserves, chocolates, seasonal fruits and vegetables, juices, poultry, dairy, coffee (check out their house blend), a CSA produce box and much more.

One of the most interesting facts about the store, as I was to find out on the day I visited, is that they do no take debit or credit, but if you didn’t bring cash (as I rarely carry), don’t worry, take your groceries and come back with the money later. Who allows you to do that these days? Eyeing up Birchwood Dairy’s Black Raspberry Yogurt (so good, by the way), I was tempted to take them up on this offer, but luckily I dug enough change out of my pocket to at least cover the sticker price.

Home Grow-in is located at 196 W 18th, between Cambie and Main. Make it a point to stop by if you are in the area.

 

Waffles

At home we’ve always been weekend pancake eaters, blueberry usually, so much so that it was actually written into my wedding vows. Now, it is one of our childrens’ favourite Sunday morning breakfasts. Recently I picked up a small waffle maker in an attempt to mix up breakfast offerings just a little bit. Waffle batter and pancake batter are basically the same, except for the addition of a bit of oil into the waffle batter, so fundamentally we are eating the same product, just in a different form.

When I was young, my waffle experience was not more than the occasional one from a family style restaurant that served plate sized waffles covered in strawberries and whipped cream. Today, my tastes have changed but it’s still a great treat to have a nice fresh waffle covered in a fruit compote. Since recently picking up my Urban Grains flour, I thought it would be a good idea to put it to the test in waffle form. Here is my waffle/pancake recipe. It should make 10-12 small pancakes or 6 good sized ones.

Waffle/Pancake Batter

1 cup flour – all purpose, whole wheat or a combination

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

1 egg

1 cup milk

In a mixing bowl combine all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder). Add in egg and milk. Stir until combined. Batter will appear lumpy, but that is OK. Let stand 5 minutes before using.

a fresh waffle with strawberry & blueberry compote

 

A Certified Sustainable BC Halibut?

Here is the article from yesterday’s Vancouver Sun. Looks like the BC halibut fishing industry is closing in on certifying the halibut as sustainable. Will this put more pressure on the halibut stocks or is it truly a sustainable “product’? What do you think?

Credit: Larry Pynn, VANCOUVER SUN  September 25, 2009

Guilt-free halibut and chips could be just around the corner.

B.C.’s lucrative Pacific halibut fishery is close to being certified as sustainable by the London-based Marine Stewardship Council — a first for a commercial fishery in the province.

A report posted on the council’s website states: “The determination reached by the certification body is that the Canada Pacific halibut (British Columbia) fishery should be certified in accordance with the MSC Standard.”

The report cautions that the fishery must produce a plan to “understand and mitigate” risks to non-target species and commit to regular inspections by the non-profit council to ensure continued compliance.

“It’s very good news,” said Christina Burridge, executive director of the B.C. Seafood Alliance. “This levels the playing field with the Alaskans.”

Certification is viewed as key to maintaining markets in North America and expanding markets in Europe as consumers increasingly demand fish caught sustainably. Alaska’s halibut fishery became certified three years ago and has the right to sell its products with the MSC-eco label.

“This is about demonstrating to the public that the fishery is sustainable, that it meets certain guidelines,” said Chris Sporer, executive manager of the Pacific Halibut Management Association.

Formal certification is the next step in the process. That could be delayed if anyone launches an objection to the council, but Burridge said she doesn’t expect that to happen.

B.C. has 435 commercial halibut fishing licences. The annual harvest from March to November is typically 10 million pounds, with a landed value of $40 to $50 million. Catches are monitored at dockside as well as by video cameras on the vessels at sea.

The International Pacific Halibut Commission, representing Alaska, B.C., Washington and Oregon, conducts scientific research into halibut stocks and sets quotas for each country.

Burridge is hopeful that two other B.C. commercial fisheries, for tuna and sablefish, could also be certified in the next three to six months. The certification process is also underway for sockeye, pink and chum salmon and hake. However, two U.S. conservation organizations, Oceana and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, have formally objected, arguing the hake fishery is not sustainable.

The dogfish fishery is in the early days of certification due to lack of a recent stock assessment.

 

Scallop Ceviche (with a side of science)

Here is a recipe (a guideline really) that I made for my clients and their guests many times this summer. It’s light and refreshing as an appetizer or even as part of a main course on those hot summer days – especially since you don’t need to turn on the oven or the grill.  As with any ceviche recipe, this uses raw scallops “cooked” in lime juice (and the word cooked in quotations is always used letting us know the scallops are no longer raw but not cooked with heat).  If you are interested in how lime juice “cooks” the scallops, you can check out a good article from Robert L. Wolke in the Washington Post, or in short, the citric acid from the lime denatures the scallop protein causing it to unravel and reconfigure itself in a tighter structure, becoming firmer. The citric acid performs the same process as heat does. That’s why it is said the scallop is “cooked”.

Try out the recipe, it’s tasty, and it can be used on all kinds of seafood.

For this recipe, I’ve used a “20-30″ (number of pieces per pound) Canadian sea scallop. You can use something bigger or smaller if you like, but I like this size. Try to use a product that is Ocean Wise or sustainable.

1 1/2 lb scallops – remove attaching muscle and rinse

1 tbsp lime zest

about 2/3 cup lime juice

1/4 cup green onions – sliced

1/3 cup red, yellow or orange peppers (or a combination) – small dice

2 tbsp cilantro – chopped

2 – 3 tbsp olive oil

1 clove of garlic – minced

salt to taste – 1-2 tsp

After cleaning and rinsing the scallops, slice them into 3-4 thin discs. Placed sliced scallops into a bowl (glass, plastic or wood, but not metal). Add lime juice and zest. Use just enough juice to just cover scallops, add more juice if necessary. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for at least 4 hours, but not much more than about 8 hours, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, add onions, garlic, cilantro, peppers, olive oil and salt. Serve with your favourite crackers or fresh made pita chips.