Sink or swim

A brisk wind ripples the water of Comox Harbour, making the sailboat stays sing like a thousand wind chimes. Peter Watson is milling about on the deck of his turquoise-green fish-packer, Diligence, his wavy silver hair crowning a tanned face that has weathered a storm or two.

On this late February day, Watson commiserates with other fishermen down at the Comox docks as they prepare for the annual herring harvest – perhaps one of the most unusual fisheries on the West Coast, one based solely on a taste in Japan for a delicacy known as kazunoko. Produced from herring roe, or eggs, kazunoko is a traditional and prestigious gift, and for 30 years this gastronomic specialty that few in North America can pronounce, let alone stomach. more...

La nouvelle Provence

Delicious cheeses, award-winning wines and farmers’ markets at every turn... No, you’re not in the south of France. An ambitious new branding strategy aims to transform the Comox Valley’s neglected agricultural lands into a gourmet’s paradise. Will it work? The region’s economic development society is banking on it more...