NANAIMO – Vancouver Island University‘s International Centre for Sturgeon Studies (ICSS) recently started selling cans of smoked sturgeon and fresh fillets to restaurants and retail shops – both as a revenue generator to help with the education and research that goes on at the facility, and as a way of building awareness about what the ICSS does.
So far three restaurants – the Westwood Bistro in Nanaimo, Pacific Prime Restaurant and Lounge in Parksville and Edible Canada in Vancouver – are serving up VIU sturgeon products to customers, and cans of smoked sturgeon – processed and smoked locally at St. Jean’s Cannery and Smokehouse – are available at several local retail shops.
The ICSS raises thousands of white sturgeon to age two, at which time fish densities need to be reduced due to space constraints. Because of federal and provincial laws, releasing the fish into the wild is not an option. Selling sturgeon products is an innovative way for the self-funded facility to supplement grant funding.
Islanders who want to try sturgeon can look for VIU smoked canned sturgeon at several local retailers [see list below]. For inspiration, they can also visit the restaurants mentioned above to see what chefs are doing with both the smoked and fresh fish.
At Westwood Bistro, guests can sample the smoked product in a risotto-filled crepe with yam cream, and the fresh fillets make an appearance on special menus from time to time. Head Chef Kellie Callender says the major appeal of VIU sturgeon is that it is a unique, interesting, local product, and all the money goes back into research and education. He’s also heard many positive things about the taste of the product.
On Granville Island in Vancouver, Edible Canada is serving up VIU sturgeon in a seafood salad.
White sturgeon – the largest sturgeon species in North America – can grow up to six metres long and can live up to 100-150 years old. Sturgeon have been swimming the waters of the world for more than 200 million years.
Since 1984, VIU has been researching white sturgeon and teaching students and the general public about this amazing species. In 2012, to fill the need for a dedicated sturgeon research centre in North America and continue developing its sturgeon research program, VIU constructed the ICSS on the Nanaimo campus.
The ICSS brings together research activities at the regional, national and international levels involving conservation, enhancement and commercial interests. It is also a place where people can go to learn more about these unique “living fossils” – the ICSS hosts more than 1,000 visitors each year.
