Free fish bbq anyone?
In a year that has been particularly challenging for salmon, the Pacific Salmon Foundation is asking for your help in celebrating salmon’s most abundant species. Pink salmon are traditionally undervalued as a seafood source even though they are the most sustainable species.
On Sunday, August 30 from 12 pm to 4 pm, at Vanier/Haddon Park behind the
Maritime Museum the Foundation will be serving up pink salmon barbecuedonated by Canadian Fishing Company and prepared by executive chefs including RobertClark, Rockin’ Ronnie Shewchuk and Garrett Schack. All barbecue will be available bydonation with proceeds supporting community-led salmon conservation projects across British Columbia.
Why are they throwing this fishy shindig? Because we, as consumers, have the power to ensure that salmon have a healthy future in British Columbia. This will be the Foundation’s fourth Pink Salmon Festival. The festival is held every two years in celebration of the dominant Fraser Pink salmon return which occurs every two years on odd years. The festival will also feature a host of free family-friendly activities including free family photos, live music, face painting, interactive story-telling, educational displays and booths, and more.
The festival is sponsored by Canadian Fishing Company, The Fish Counter and Vancouver is Awesome.
10 Things You Didn’t Know about Pink Salmon
1. Pink salmon are also called ‘humpies’ because the males develop humps during
spawning season.
2. Pink salmon are a little lower in fat content than other popular species of salmon such as sockeye, but are just as tasty.
3. Pinks are arguably the healthiest type of salmon to consume because their short
lifespan and immediate migration to the ocean gives them less opportunity to accumulate toxins and pollutants from the water.
4. Pink salmon provide a direct food source to many species, including eagles, bear and
sturgeon (about 130 species feed on salmon). The carcasses of adult salmon also provide essential nutrients for local plant life and aquatic insects.
5. The sheer number of pink salmon also enhances the natural cleaning service performed by all salmon in brushing the surface of gravel beds. This is essential because clean gravel is needed for the next generation’s salmon egg survival and for production of aquatic insects.
6. Pink salmon are second only to coho salmon in their geographic distribution throughout B.C., and are especially important to coastal ecosystems of B.C.
7. Pink salmon can return in very large numbers, so they can be sustainably harvested
without damage to the overall resilience of the population.
8. Pink salmon only return to the Fraser in substantial numbers in odd-years and this
remains one of the great mysteries for the next generation of biologists.
9. The pinks’ position on the marine food chain allows them to have a smaller ecological
“fin” print per fish, so consuming a pink salmon will make a smaller impact on the
environment than consuming other species of salmon.
10. Pinks are less expensive than other salmon, and are therefore more affordable for
consumers.
Last modified: August 18, 2015
