Celebrating B.C.’s Best Seafood
The 9th Annual BC Shellfish and Seafood Festival was held in the Comox Valley from June 12-21. With June designated as B.C. Seafood month, the 10-day festival served as a celebration of seafood excellence in British Columbia.
Kicking off the festivities on June 12th, Fresh Fest was an evening of food and music enjoyed by over 800 attendees. Designed to tantalize the taste buds this new event paired Canada’s freshest seafood with some of our nation’s finest chefs, showcasing some of the best of B.C.’s aquaculture products, including:
- Coast Fresh Atlantic Salmon from Cermaq Canada
- Certified Organic Chinook from Creative Salmon
- Smoked Coho and Sablefish from Golden Eagle Aquaculture
- Oceanwise Lois Lake steelhead
- Manilla Clams from Salish Seafoods
- Clams & Oysters from Mac’s Oysters
- Oysters and Mussels from Fanny Bay Oysters
Not only were attendees treated to delicious food, but they were also able to enjoy the sun and the musical talents of Zerbin, The River and the Road and Luke Blu Guthrie – all who gave amazing performances.
Other highlights of the festival included the Flying Fresh Lobster Extravaganza, the Mayors Breakfast, the BC Seafood Expo & Workshop Series (which featured chef cooking demos) and the Comox by the Sea Celebration.
This is the second year that the BC Salmon Farmers Association participated in BC Shellfish and Seafood Festival. We enjoyed being onsite for the Comox by the Sea Celebration, a “foodie” type event, in which we hosted a BBQ, serving 400 salmon burgers to those in attendance. All proceeds raised are donated to the North Island College’s Aquaculture Program in support of growing the industry.
The BCSFA greatly appreciates the volunteers and contributions from our members, including Grieg Seafood, Cermaq Canada, Creative Salmon, Golden Eagle Aquaculture and West Coast Fish Culture. Thanks for helping to make the festival a success.