Sustainable Seafood in Vancouver: How, Where and Why
Vancouver’s got a bit of a reputation when it comes to seafood. We have top restaurants serving up everything from crab and halibut to jellyfish and uni. We’ve got fishing charters galore. Our sushi is some of the best in the world. With the ocean right at our doorstep and plenty of pristine lakes and rivers nearby, local fish makes its way from the water to your plate fast. The result? A fresh, sustainable seafood experience you can’t find anywhere else.
And, given our love for sustainable dining, you can bet that our best chefs are making sure the seafood they serve is harvested with care.
BC Salmon
While you can find a huge range of sustainable seafood options in Vancouver, we’re probably best known for our salmon, which has been enjoyed and carefully stewarded by local Indigenous Nations since time immemorial.
Salmon’s rich, non-fishy flavour and healthy Omega-3 fatty acids make it an enduring favourite for locals and visitors alike. Try it grilled, smoked, candied, poached or served up raw as sashimi or poké.
Looking for gift ideas for family back home? Smoked salmon remains one of the top souvenirs for visitors to Vancouver. Products from Authentic Indigenous Seafood, a co-op model that works with small and medium-sized Indigenous fisheries, are available at lots of local markets (including Granville Island!) and grocery stores.
So, what makes BC salmon special? According to BC Salmon, the nonprofit organization responsible for marketing salmon in BC, our salmon is naturally delicious to start with, but is set apart by the way it’s fished. Local fishing operations follow strict handling, grading, quality assurance and food safety practices. They’re always looking for ways to improve, working hard to create a healthy habitat and sustainable living conditions for salmon.
There are five species of salmon that live here: Chinook, coho, chum, pink and sockeye. They’re caught in rivers across the province as well as off the coast of Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii.
Is Wild BC Salmon Sustainable?
Every year, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) uses projections to decide how many of each type of fish can be caught with each type of gear. Then, they fine-tune that throughout the season depending on how things actually play out.
In recent years, the DFO has been working closely with commercial and recreational fisheries, First Nations, environmental groups and others in the industry to ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to managing BC’s wild salmon populations.
To make sure enough salmon makes it back to spawn and reduce bycatch (accidentally catching things that aren’t salmon), local fishing operations:
- Fish at very specific times and only in target areas.
- Use gear that targets the species they’re looking for.
- Release bycatch in a way that makes them more likely to survive.
Commercial fishing operations in BC use three sustainable methods for catching salmon:
- Trolling is where fishing lines with bait or lures attached are dragged behind a boat. The type of lure, depth and boat speed are all carefully selected to attract the target species. Fish are caught one by one, retrieved, dressed and iced or quick frozen.
- Seining uses a large net with weights on the bottom and buoys on the top to help it stand in the water. The net encircles a school of fish and gets pulled closed. Then, fish are carefully scooped out with a smaller net. This method is mostly used for catching sockeye, pink and chum salmon.
- Gillnetting uses a net suspended in the water. The net has holes just the right size to allow the target species to get its head through, but then it gets stuck. Smaller species can swim freely through the net and larger ones can’t get into it at all, so it’s a good way to reduce bycatch. Gillnetting is most often used in coastal rivers to catch sockeye and chum.
Ocean Wise
Wondering how to tell whether you’re eating sustainable seafood, and who’s keeping track of what is and isn’t good for the environment?
A conservation organization with global reach, Ocean Wise was founded in Vancouver back in 1951 to address overfishing, ocean pollution and climate change. They monitor species at risk, find innovative ways to use less plastic and educate the public about the ocean and ways to keep its waters, animals and even plants safe for the future.
Ocean Wise is known for their certification program, which helps consumers make sustainable choices when it comes to seafood. They assess seafood in three ways: what it is, where it’s caught and how it’s caught. Then, they use that information to decide whether or not to recommend a product.
Keep an eye out for the Ocean Wise logo on grocery store labels and restaurant menus. It’s a sign that the seafood you’re about to enjoy is sustainable according to their rigorous standards.
So, who serves Ocean Wise–certified seafood in Vancouver?
Where to Find Sustainable Seafood in Vancouver
Whether you’re looking to enjoy salmon specifically or one of the many other top quality fish and shellfish available in Vancouver, you can’t go wrong with a meal at one of these three spots:
Blue Water Cafe - Yaletown
Blue Water Café is the place to go for approachable fine dining focused on seafood. Not sure what to get? Try a bit of everything with one of their impressive seafood towers. They are a founding member of the Ocean Wise program, and the menu reflects that. Vibe-wise: think open kitchen, raw bar, heated patio and private wine room.
Miku - Coal Harbour
In a crisp, light-filled room overlooking the Burrard Inlet and Canada Place, Miku is known for their exceptional sushi and Aburi cuisine. Many dishes are made with Ocean Wise certified seafood.
The Fish Counter - East Vancouver
Serving some of the best fish and chips in town, The Fish Counter uses exclusively Ocean Wise sustainable seafood. Expect a casual setting with bar seating.
More Ways to Experience Fish and Seafood in Vancouver
- Learn about salmon from egg to fry with a self-guided tour at the Capilano Salmon Hatchery, a free interpretive centre in North Vancouver.
- Spend a day at the Vancouver Aquarium, a certified humane facility known for its leading animal care practices and focus on education.
Take a day trip to Steveston, a historic fishing town just 20 minutes south of Vancouver.
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