Tag Archives: Oysters

History, Rivers & Oceans

Paul Kirmmse remembers Cortes Island in 1971

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Born in New York, he chose Canada. Another two years passed before he arrived on a remote island off the West Coast. Paul Kirmmse remembers Cortes Island in 1971.

“I originally came here in January of ’71, looking for land. A guy gave me a job for the summer, beginning in April, serving coffee to the fishers and the loggers. There was a little cafe just above Mansons Lagoon, across from what used to be the Barton store – which I understand is now the Cortes Island Museum. It was dragged up the road and put in place to become the museum,” he says.  

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Rivers & Oceans

Sea Stars – Wolves of the Ocean floor

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Kelly Fretwell from the Hakai Institute recently described sea stars as wolves of the ocean floor.

The topic came up when I mentioned that they prey upon the oysters in Gorge Harbour, on Cortes Island. 

Julia Rendall, President of the Bee Islets Growers Corporation, said they normally eat about a third of her crop. The bottom clusters are “all chewed, eaten.”  She remembers the summer that Sea Star Wasting Disease reached the Gorge.

“That was the year I had the very best harvest, for shuck oysters,” said Rendall … I got about $8,000 a raft instead of $5,000.”

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Rivers & Oceans

Cleaning up shellfish growing areas on Cortes and East Redonda Islands

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is cleaning up some of the shellfish growing areas in our area.

Erik Lyon, of Rising Tide Shellfish, believes the clean-ups may be connected to the fact aquaculture licenses in this area will come up for renewal in 2025

DFO has not yet returned Cortes Currents initial query, but Lyon is working on extensive clean-ups on Cortes and East Redonda Islands. 

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Rivers & Oceans

Cortes Island’s #1 Industry is back

When British Columbian restaurants closed their doors last March, they virtually shut down Cortes Island’s #1 industry. Though sales are still below pre-COVID levels, the shellfish sector is coming back. 

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Rivers & Oceans

How climate change impacts aquaculture production

By Quinn Bender, Prince Rupert Northern View, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

As climate change causes more extreme temperature events, heat waves have the potential to hit marine environments especially hard. The impacts could be especially dire for humans, as we increasingly turn to aquaculture as the best hope to feed a global population speeding toward 10-billion people. 

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