The Axis of Sustainability

Being greeted at the restaurant door by representatives of the David Suzuki Foundation (DSF) makes me edgy. A guilt-ridden lapsed Catholic by nature or just karma conscious, I knew I shouldn't have bought that farmed salmon fillet from Safeway three years ago or picked those Chanterelle mushrooms in Pacific Spirit Park…but it was only a fleeting moment of panic because I'm at C restaurant and know that most everything served here has a lineage as long as the house of Windsor.

These people are so serious about conservation and sustainability that Executive Chef Robert Clark, as well as overseeing kitchen operations for C and RainCity Grill, is mainly dedicated to "sourcing products that provide the finest quality and are at the same time responsibly managed at the source..." says owner Harry Kambolis. Some may think that Mr. Clark borders on the fanatical. He believes in accountability, even to the day that a fish -- and shellfish -- was harvested and where it came from, maybe even down to its surname.

But as well as having a great nosh, we were here to inform you, the consumer, about two programs: State of the Catch and Ocean Wise. "We need help to move ahead and raise the sustainability standard" said Mr. Clarke.

It's not enough to know whether or not your fish fillet is wild or farmed, fresh or frozen. For example, wild salmon from Skeena river has been on the menu at C since 2002 when they partnered with fishers Fred and Linda Hawkshaw. Using good fishing practices such as smaller net mesh (fish are caught by the snout rather than gills) allows less than five percent mortality rate and every fish caught will be served. And there is zero "bycatch" which means that no other aquatic creature is caught unintentionally. Our dinner tonight is proof that the Hawkshaws' wild salmon, served with preserved stony paradise tomatoes, olive gnocchi and arugula, is not only the right choice for wild salmon environmentally, but the sweetest tasting fish I have ever had.

It was one course of an amazing eight-course tasting menu we shared with the David Suzuki Foundation and the Vancouver Aquarium. As well as wild salmon, each seafood on the menu had the environmental seal of approval from both organizations, from honey mussels to Kagan Bay scallops. And surprisingly, land farmed Agassiz Coho (lightly seared with wasabi-crayfish vinaigrette and tasting similar to trout -- they live in fresh water) was also on the menu. Coincidentally, Swift Aqua Culture, along with land-farmed salmon, is also growing crayfish and wasabi as an "environmental spinoff". The DSF believes that land farmed salmon represents an incredible step in the right direction and they are " thrilled to see some companies taking this type of action". Although the feed may be problematic (other fish are ground up and used), it is still "the best way to get healthy protein in the most ecologically sustainable way… this is moving in the right direction".

C has learned over the years that Vancouverites have vision but don't know what to do about it or what to do next. They felt the need for some kind of "consumer seafood watch". Aligning with the DSF is an obvious choice, but how does The Vancouver Aquarium fit into all this?

Ocean Wise is a new initiative from the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre. For the past four years, it has supported a similar program with the Monterey Bay Aquarium encouraging restaurants to provide more sustainable seafood choices -- they will make it easy for us to pick the restaurants and demystify our food choices.

According to the aquarium, 60-70 percent of all seafood in Vancouver is consumed in restaurants. Their mandate, along with founding restaurant C, is to "encourage restaurants to provide more sustainable seafood dishes and make it easy for diners to choose restaurants and dishes that have as small an impact on the oceans as possible." In order to qualify, restaurants must remove unsustainable seafood items from their menu and replace them with sustainable alternatives wherever possible. And any restaurant that has at least one seafood item can participate.

State of the Catch is a guide to sustainable BC seafood being developed by the David Suzuki Foundation. It will rank 30 viable species of seafood currently fished off the BC coast and will be "a resource tool for chefs, restaurateurs, seafood suppliers and other food industry professionals to make informed choices about the sustainability of their product, and to better respond to growing consumer demand for socially and environmentally responsible seafood".

At our dinner we heard an anecdote about how David Suzuki went to a restaurant and inquired about an item on the menu -- "wild Atlantic salmon". He asked his server how this was possible and she answered that "people like the term wild". These two programs will allow us to make informed choices, to be a part of consumer watch and be a part of decision-making for a sustainable future.

For more info:
The Ocean Wise program will list participating restaurants on a "Preferred Restaurant" guide available at the restaurants, the Vancouver Aquarium and other locations as well as the Ocean Wise website: www.vanaqua.org/conservation/oceanwise.html

Find more about The State of the Catch by visiting www.davidsuzuki.org

To download and print a wallet-sized consumer's guide to the best seafood choices, visit www.seafoodwatch.org