Other Features

Potential for the Shellfish Industry on Cortes island

Two years ago, in an article published on www.cortesshellfish.ca entitled "The State of the Shellfish Industry on Cortes Island," I pointed out some of the problems facing the Shellfish Industry, and stressed the need for immediate change. Much has happened since then; some positive, some less so.

By Marcel Creurer

Cortes Island Coastal Plan for Shellfish Aquaculture (July 2003) - Gorge Harbour

Unit 5 Gorge Harbour

Marine Area           364 ha                   Shoreline               16 km               

Substrate               Mud                       Slope                      Sloping                               

Exposure               Moderate                Depth                     Photic 

Current                   Low                       Benthic Summer Temp        Warm

Roughness              Low

 

Area Closures

"Tis the season once again where contaminants in the water may affect safe consumption of shellfish. There are three principal contributing factors, all of which are diligently checked each week by industry and government: Sanitary, Red Tide (PSP) and Vibrio (Vp) - detailed descriptions follow. 

 

Check the quick link at the left for closures that may affect you.

 

 

By MarcelCreurer

OysterFest ‘09

^{Weekend of May 16}

Squirrel Cove 

Theme - Historical Squirrel Cove 

Escape to beautiful Cortes Island for a day of feasting, entertainment and fun. Read on ...

 

By Marcel Creurer

Oysters Combat Global Warming

Oysters have long been regarded as "canaries of the sea," providing an early warning for contaminated waters along our shores. Recent studies from Australia now show that this humble mollusk, the mighty oyster, also plays an important role in combating global warming.  

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By M. Creurer

Wake-up Call

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has just released its findings on the sinking of the Silver Gull on December 09, 2008 which tragically claimed the life of fellow oyster farmer and friend, Brian Stevenson.

  
By Marcel Creurer

OysterFest '09

We have a new team leader this year - Damian Taylor has stepped forward to take on the job of General Organizer from Marcel Creurer. He is young, eager, and will bring new ideas to the Festival. Please join me in welcoming Damian aboard, and wish him the best in his new challenging endeavour.
By M. Creurer

Area Closures

Here's this week's closure information:
 

PSP closures: http://www.cortesoysters.ca/documents/CFIA_ACIA-1676055-v1-Pacific_Shellfish_Comm_2008_10 02.pdf

Martox results: http://www.cortesoysters.ca/documents/Martox_Results_September_26_2008.pdf

Updated October 3rd, 2008

 

By Marcel Creurer

OysterFest '08

Wow!!! Thank you Cortes.  

          

OysterFest '08 was quite simply incredible. The weather gods smiled on us big time; people came from as far away as Halifax, Toronto, Ft. Chipewyan, California and England especially to be here; the Bay was full of yachts, and the taxi shuttle never stopped all day. We served over 5000 oysters, 240 lbs of clams, 30 qts of prawn tails, 30 gallons of chowder, plus breads, salads and an unknown quantity of bannock and hot dogs.

By Marcel Creurer

OysterFest '08

OysterFest '08

Information Site

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Squirrel Cove

Saturday, May 17, 2008

 

"When the tide's out, the table is set."

 

Theme: "A tribute to our shellfish pioneers"

 

Kick-off time 11:00AM

 

By Marcel Creurer

Part Four - The Pioneers

 

How do you define a pioneer??? According to the  Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a pioneer is “one that originates or helps open up a new line of thought or activity.” 

There are many people who helped to form the shellfish industry on Cortes Island - the clam diggers, the oyster pickers, the seed collectors, the aquaculture farmers - all have had a hand in making our industry what it is today. I could try to list them all, but I would fail. Someone is bound to point out an oversight: ‘Uncle so-and-so picked clams for so-and-so in such-and-such a year.’ For the purpose of this article, I will list only those who contributed in some significant way to the industry prior to 1990. 

By Marcel Creurer

Part Three - Commercial Ventures - Shellfish Farming

History consists of its winners and losers, heroes and villains. The history of the shellfish industry on Cortes Island is no different. While the villains and losers, and the lost dreams have a bearing on the development of events in our industry, they are best recounted elsewhere, possibly in a work of fiction. They will only be cited here to illustrate the steep learning curve of a fledgling industry. My desire is to concentrate on our many champions and the note-worthy events that have shaped shellfish aquaculture as a whole. There have been many “firsts” created on Cortes, and we have spawned many independent thinkers who have left their mark on the West Coast industry, and also Internationally. 

 

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By Marcel Creurer

Part Two – Commercial Ventures – Wild Fisheries

Long before Europeans made their way to this area, coastal natives organized their lives around the sea and its wild bounties. Butter clams have been a major food source for coastal people for at least 2000 years, providing a dietary change from salmon and deer meat. The portability of smoked and dried clams made them a valuable trade item.

 

Butter clams were plentiful around Cortes Island, and now, as was then, the harvest of the sea remains a central organizing principle in the lives of many local men and women. Until the beginning of the 1970’s, what there was of a shellfish industry on Cortes was more involved in harvesting than in farming. From the 1920’s to the early 1980’s butter clams were B.C.’s largest bi-valve export.

 

By Marcel Creurer

A History of Cortes Island Shellfish

 

Beginning in February, we will  feature a series of four monthly articles on the development of the shellfish industry on Cortes Island:

1. – Antiquity, 2. – Wild Harvest, 3. – Shellfish Farming, 4. – The Pioneers.  

 

These articles are a lead-up to OysterFest ’08 on May 17^th, whose theme this year is Cortes Shellfish Pioneers, honouring those hard working men and women who shaped today’s Industry. There is a rich history of shellfish on Cortes Island, a history that has influenced not only the Industry in B.C., but also in France and in Brazil. To wet your appetite I have include a Time Line immediately following Part One.  

 

By Marcel Creurer - reviewed by Kathy Francis

The State of the Oyster Industry on Cortes Island

 
By Marcel Creurer

ROAST TURKEY WITH HERBED OYSTER STUFFING AND GIBLET GRAVY

From Epicurious
Oyster stuffing is traditional, a throwback from colonial days.

By M. Creurer

Recipe of the month

Del's Glazed Oysters

Del Hendon, Cortes Island

Selected as the best entry at OysterFest '03

 

By M. Creurer

Thank You Cortes and Guests

OysterFest just keeps getting better and better, thanks to you!

By Marcel Creurer

OysterFest '07 - official web site

Cortes Women in the Shellfish Industry

Squirrel Cove


May 19, 2007






By Marcel Creurer

Brenda Hanson - the Crooning Clam Digger

Treaty Executive Assistant for Klahoose First Nation








By Marcel Creurer

Julia R. O. Rendall - Mother, Grandmother, Oyster Baroness - a leader in the industry

Partner in Orchard Bay Eco-Culture Ltd., Autres Mers Shellfish, and in Silent Harvest

President of the Bee Islets Grower's Corp.

Director: Cortes Island Seafood Assoc.

Member: Advisory Planning Committee

Former Director and Chairperson of the Cortes Island Shellfish Grower's Co-op

By Marcel Creurer

Kathy McLaggan, the accidental oyster grower

Partner: Viks Oysters, Autres Mers Shellfish


Member: Outlandish Shellfish Guild









By Marcel Creurer

Kristen Scholfield-Sweet - The Artful Oyster Lady

Partner: Strange's Bay Oysters

Board Member: Campbell River Art Gallery

Long-standing Member: Cortes Advisory Planning Commission









By Marcel Creurer

Pauline Meurs - constant companion, and right hand man.

Pauline moved to the coast from Alberta with her husband, Willem and their two daughters. They operated a gill-netter until '94, then took advantage of the government's by-back scheme on fishing licenses to apply their resources into oyster farming. They invested in a sizable 20 raft operation at the Bee Islets and at the C.I.S.G. Co-op at Talbot Cove, and were among the first to employ an overhead gantry that spanned the width of the raft to lift trays out of the water.
By Marcel Creurer

Cortes Women in the Shellfish Industry

Starting in January, and leading up to OysterFest in May, this section will feature the brave ladies who toil through sun and sleet, fog, wind and 3:00 AM tides to make their invaluable contributions to our industry. They are women first and foremost, but they do not hesitate to don rain gear and to get splattered with oyster goo. They are hard working, competitive, and many are leaders in the field.