Tag Archives: Shellfish

History, Rivers & Oceans

Paul Kirmmse remembers Cortes Island in 1971

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Originally published on April 22, 2021

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

All things Shellfish comes to Folk U

On January 9, 2025, Max Thaysen and Erik Lyon hosted a hands-on workshop on all things shellfish! This fantastic teaching team chatted harvesting, sustainability, identification, risks and benefits of eating local shellfish, and so much more! This is a field-recording-style episode made possible by Decoda Literacy, the Cortes Island Community Foundation, and the Cortes Island Food Bank. Big thank you to Max and Erik.

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Food

From Shore to Table Workshop on Cortes Island

Max Thaysen and Erik Lyon led a shellfish harvesting workshop in Mansons Lagoon on Thursday January 9, 2024. This was a free event sponsored by the Cortes Island Community Foundation, Decoda Literacy, and the Cortes Island Food Bank. Cortes Currents interviewed Max a few days prior to the workshop. 

“ I would love to support people to get more of their food from our local environment in a way that is ecologically sustainable  and invited my friend Eric Lyon to join me in  presenting the glory of shellfish to anybody who hasn’t yet heard, or felt comfortable accessing this food,”he said.

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Rivers & Oceans

UN manifesto pitches preservation of critical microscopic creatures

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Plankton, the key ingredient of the primordial ocean soup that allows all life to flourish, are central to a new U.N. manifesto highlighting the big role microscopic creatures can play in tackling the globe’s triple threat. 

Plankton are largely ignored in international discussions around preserving the planet from the climate crisis, biodiversity collapse and pollution, said Vincent Doumeizel, senior advisor on the oceans to the United Nations (U.N.) Global Compact.

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Transportation

BC Ferries was in negotiations with controversial ship-breaking operation, email shows

Editor’s note: The following article is of interest because of BC Ferries involvement and the fact Union Bay is close to our broadcast area.

By Madeline Dunnett, The Discourse,  Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

BC Ferries was at one point actively negotiating with Deep Water Recovery, a controversial ship-breaking operation in Union Bay, regarding the dismantling of an end-of-life vessel. That’s according to an email from BC Ferries, obtained through an access to information request.

“Everybody thought it was just here because they didn’t have a place to store it,” said Marilynn Manning, a Union Bay resident and member of Concerned Citizens of Baynes Sound, during a rally against the operation in October. “But we found out through freedom of information that [Deep Water Recovery] was in negotiation to take it apart here.” 

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