Ocean Wise Program Expands

[jamiemaw]

Ocean Wise

Those of you who attended the eGullet Sustainability Luncheon at C Restaurant this summer will recall the impassioned talk from Dr. John Nightingale of the Vancouver Aquarium and Marine Science Centre. Nightingale corroborated the assertion that in British Columbia, more than 60% of seafood is eaten in restaurants. So—in this case at least—education may not start at home, but in those restaurants that champion sustainability.

To that end, 13 more restaurants were added to the Ocean Wise roster today for a total of 28 in the province, Jason Boyce (who also spoke at the luncheon), Ocean Wise Coordinator, announced.

Those restaurants are:

• C Restaurant - Ocean Wise Founding Restaurant Partner

• Araxi Restaurant and Lounge, Whistler

• Aqua Riva, Vancouver

• Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, Vancouver

• The Cannery Seafood Restaurant, Vancouver

• Chambar Belgian Restaurant, Vancouver

• CinCin Ristorante and Bar, Vancouver

• DV8 Lounge, Vancouver

• Horizons, Burnaby

• Nimmo Bay Resort, Vancouver Island

• Ouisi Bistro, Vancouver

• Raincity Grill, Vancouver

• The Salmon House, West Vancouver

• Vancouver Aquarium AquaHost Catering

• West Restaurant and Bar, Vancouver

• Altitudes Bistro, Grouse Mountain

• Observatory Restaurant, Grouse Mountain

• Aurora Bistro, Vancouver

• Cactus Club Restaurants, Vancouver

• The Fish House in Stanley Park, Vancouver

• Le Gavroche, Vancouver

• Joe Fortes Seafood and Chop House, Vancouver

• Nu, Vancouver

• Pearl, White Rock

• Provence Marinaside, Vancouver

• Restaurant 62, Abbotsford

• Vij’s, Vancouver

• Wild Rice, Vancouver

Boyce, who appealed to members of The Chefs’ Table Society earlier this year, has delivered a strong start for the program. That message will be taken overseas next February when Chefs' Table and Ocean Wise partner with chefs in London at a sustainability dinner in front of the British media.

We think the program so important that we partnered with Ocean Wise this year to place the OW logo as an icon beneath each participating restaurant in the Eating & Drinking Guide to BC. Hopefully, other restaurants will follow suit shortly and mount the Ocean Wise logo on their menus as a badge of honour.

Congratulations to those who have taken the early lead.

For further information on the Ocean Wise program,

oceanwise@vanaqua.org

or contact:

Jason Boyce - Ocean Wise Coordinator

Vancouver Aquarium

(604) 659 - 3596

Edited November 3, 2005 by jamiemaw (log)

[jamiemaw]

There was a very useful feature on Ocean Wise on last night's Global BC News at 6 that dealt with the issues and interviewed chefs and managers from The Cannery and elsewhere. They also posted a graphic of fish to avoid--yes, including Chilean sea bass. Great to see this message being delivered in prime time and squarely into the mainstream.

[fud]

I read about this in "Flavours" two months ago. Very cool indeed. <sigh> I LOVE the taste of sea bass...poor fishies...we need to clone them...wait...that probably doesn't meet the oceanwise requirements

[James Kendal]

We need to get the Island restaurants on board. The slow food thing is popular here but I am dissapointed about Ocean Wise. I have asked our chef to be on board (months ago) and will bring the point home sooner rather than later.

I have been left with the impression from some of the hotels on the island that they do not want to have their hands tied.

Not only is this a noble cause it is also a wise marketing move (not that I am solely motivated by that end).

[jamiemaw]

We need to get the Island restaurants on board. The slow food thing is popular here but I am dissapointed about Ocean Wise. I have asked our chef to be on board (months ago) and will bring the point home sooner rather than later.

I have been left with the impression from some of the hotels on the island that they do not want to have their hands tied.

Not only is this a noble cause it is also a wise marketing move (not that I am solely motivated by that end).

←

James,

This year in The Eating & Drinking Guide we published Ocean Wise icons underneath particpating restaurants. Next year we will--by geographic location--also publish a separate and prominanet page of participants.

[James Kendal]

Thanks Jamie,

I just finished talking to our chef and it comes down to changing our banquet menus for the next season as certain items conflict. In the dining room we have been following the program but to be compliant we have to redo our inroom, picnic menu and group menus.

[jamiemaw]

Thanks Jamie,

I just finished talking to our chef and it comes down to changing our banquet menus for the next season as certain items conflict. In the dining room we have been following the program but to be compliant we have to redo our inroom, picnic menu and group menus.

←

James,

Everyone (i.e. not just you and chef) should know that restaurants can qualify by commiting to removing unsustainable items over time (one item upfront though) and that entire menus needn't be reformatted instantly. Call Jason, as above, for more details.

Edited November 4, 2005 by jamiemaw (log)

[Feedbag]

I saw the Global segment last night too and thought "Hear, Hear".

Good to see the coverage.

I knew about most of the verboten fish (sea bass, sob! -- although

I STILL want to know why Granville Island is selling it. should the

initiative not extend to mongers as well??) Didn't know about red

snapper being a no-no, and that BC spotted prawns are the preferred

prawn.

I did not know, also, that swordfish, which used to routinely clock in at

150 kg, are now on average 49 kg. And that a staggering 90 per cent of

the world's fish six feet long and more are gone. GONE!

All the more important the "fissue" stay in our faces.

[kurtisk]

This year in The Eating & Drinking Guide we published Ocean Wise icons underneath particpating restaurants.

←

Just wanted to pipe in for a sec to point out that while an icon doesn't appear under Aurora Bistro in the Guide (I'm guessing we joined up too close to press time), we are indeed part of the Ocean Wise program, which encompasses every fish item on our menu ( http://aurorabistro.ca/menu.htm ). With our local/sustainable focus, I thought that some of you might wonder why we weren't part of it. But we are.

'Kay thanks!

k.