During the Middle Ages, gooseneck barnacles
were thought to be developing geese, and when they reached a certain size
they would fall to the water and become full grown geese.
Barnacle geese breed in the summer north of the Arctic Circle, and spend
their winters on the northern coasts, seeming to appear from nowhere, hence
the myth. Since these geese (the barnacle goose and brant goose) came from
shellfish, they were considered to be fish and could be eaten on days that
meat was forbidden.
Introduction
News/Articles
Percebes are a shellfish with a
long, soft body like the neck of a goose, hard shells at the top, and a 'foot'
at the bottom that attaches them to rocks. They only grow on rocks exposed
to heavy surf, and only grow in several parts of the world. They are highly
sought after as a rare delicacy, savoured for their lovely texture and flavour
which is somewhat like crab or lobster.
The percebes fishery is an experimental community-based fishery operating
under sustainability guidelines. It is managed by the Westcoast Aquatic Management
Board, which is the first Board of its kind in Canada mandated to use an integrated,
ecosystem-based approach.
Harvesting occurs on rocks in the intertidal zone which are pounded heavily
by surf. It is challenging for harvesters, both to get from a boat on
to rocks, and then to harvest without being swept by the surf. Weather
and tides are therefore a major factor in being able to harvest, so supply
is sometimes interrupted for periods of time where there are either poor
tides or poor weather.
Harvesters are 80% First Nations and 20% other residents of small coastal
communities. They use a selective harvesting tool that takes small bouquets
of percebes of a certain size range, leaving younger and older percebes
to re-populate the small harvested patch. Percebes are harvested live
and remain live for extended periods of time. Harvesters take care to
wet-store and clean the percebes after harvest and before sale/processing.
Harvesters knowledge is used to assess the abundance and regeneration rates
of rocks. If the abundance of percebes reach a 'trigger' limit for a rock,
the rock is closed until fully regenerated. Biological monitoring and assessments
are also employed in the fishery to ensure proper management. Harvesters place
tags in their harvest bags that outline the rock where the percebes were picked.
Landings and sales are validated, and weights are written down at processing
plants and export certificates. This allows the product to be tracked from
rock of origin to export.
Percebes are not subject to common shellfish contaminants such as fecal coliform
or paralytic shellfish poisoning, as are bivalves such as clams, mussels,
and oysters. Nevertheless, they are packed in government certified (HAACP)
plants to ensure high safety standards. Information about areas where the
percebes are harvested is available in the area pages of our website (Barkley,
Clayoquot, and Kyuquot Sounds), so that consumers can know more about the
place where their food comes from.
Percebes News/Articles
A Spanish love affair with goose barnacles
Spanish importers await reopening of West Coast goose barnacle fishery. Story
Aug. 28, 2003: Gooseneck barnacle harvest may open Read
