An Appetite for Shellfish
Vancouver Island is home to a rapidly growing shellfish industry, the island's pristine coastal waters providing an ideal environment for shellfish farming and harvesting. With a focus on sustainable practices, the island’s shellfish industry has become a model for responsible aquaculture and has gained recognition from chefs and seafood lovers around the world. Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Deep Bay Marine Field Station is one of the research facilities in the region helping foster the growth of the industry by educating the public and providing opportunities for local culinary students and chefs.
The station was built in the Baynes Sound, because that’s “where 50% of the shellfish aquaculture industry in B.C. is,” says Carl Butterworth, the manager at the Deep Bay Marine Field Station. This location makes their results relevant for the larger coast. Butterworth explains that the station conducts both practical and applied research for the shellfish industry. “We facilitate research into Pacific oysters and Japanese scallops at this point, plus a little bit on clams. And we’re hoping to develop some kelp work as we go forward.” The research investigates how oysters and shellfish can be better bred for British Columbia’s coastal waters and can be developed with more desirable characteristics to help the industry grow.
While the industry in B.C. has a long way to go compared to the seafood culture of Atlantic Canada, initiatives like the Deep Bay station are helping to progress the industry. “It’s a good news industry,” Butterworth says. “It [shellfish] is a great source of protein; it’s a great carbon neutral or even carbon negative industry. So it’s definitely one that we want to really help develop.” Changing the seafood culture in Western Canada would also go a long way to keeping money and product within the local economy. Currently, most of the shellfish produced on Vancouver Island are being sold to Asia, the USA, the UK and the EU. “Relatively little is actually staying in British Columbia, just because there’s strong international demand for the product,” Butterworth explains.
A large part of changing that culture is providing educational experiences for the community and for tourists, which is why the station is open to the public seven days a week from May long weekend to Labor Day weekend. “We’ll have days and exhibits that are based around different themes and marine sciences,” says Butterworth. He’s excited about the unique educational tourism they can provide. “People can do lab tours and see the research as its happening. It’s a real chance to actually chat with the researchers, talk with the lab technicians and see what’s happening. There’s so much happening here during the summer,” he adds. From touch tanks to aquarium and exhibits to activities, the station has a variety of way to teach visitors about local marine life. “We would encourage anybody to come check things out,” invites Butterworth.
Debra Hellbach, who works for the Centre for Seafood Innovation (CSI), echoes Butterworth’s excitement about the educational tourism available in the region. “We're here to facilitate applied research, business development, market development and workforce development projects to support seafood companies in British Columbia,” she explains of CSI. The innovation hub has become a critical component for the province’s seafood growth, helping local seafood companies extract more value from their harvests. And they partner with the Deep Bay Marine Field Station to deliver programming that educates the public on the seafood sector. Hellbach talks about the numerous opportunities the partnership provides, from cooking demonstrations, school field trips, and a variety of other educational tourism activities. “We're looking at supporting local business, tourism, and education, and how can we marry that together…and utilize what the community has.”
One such educational opportunity occurs when they hold learning luncheons at the marine station. “We feature research that’s being done at VIU or another institution that demonstrates how we’re working towards more sustainable seafood production. While we're doing that presentation, we also serve that seafood product to the guests who come here so that they get to try it,” Hellbach says. “And we have the chef's we provide recipes for the for the products that are made. That helps people understand how they can prepare seafood, because a lot of people don't buy seafood or don't eat seafood because they don't know how to prepare it.”
Butterworth is also proud of the work the marine station does with the CSI. “It’s a great example of a new initiative that really looks at the seafood industry a bit more holistically,” he says. “Our focus is really on oysters and other shellfish. But with the CSI, it looks not only at aquaculture, but the wild fishery kelp, where we can get British Columbians to eat more seafood and really promote that whole industry to the province.” The partnership is just one example of how the Deep Bay Marine Field Station is constantly expanding their types of research and economic development work, paving the way for many more culinary educational tourism offerings in the future.
