In a quirky turnaround as dire warnings that fish farming would soon wipe out the British Columbia wild salmon fishery comes news that stocks are returning in abundance this season. "The last two years we have had very low sockeye returns and this year is forecast to be much, much better," says Grant Snell, general manager of the BC Salmon Marketing Council in Vancouver.

This is good news after constant warnings by scientists and environmentalists, who have been blaming fish farming for destroying wild salmon stocks through interbreeding of escaped salmon while lice from farmed fish have been killing juvenile salmon. Snell says one of the reasons the wild salmon have returned in greater numbers has to do with lack of food and warmer water in 2005.

"What the North Pacific needs for our normal species is cold water with lots of nutrients," he says. "And 2005 was horrible, but in 2006 it turned around very quickly and has been improving ever since."

Snell says the warm water which pushes up from the tropics, generally referred to as El Nino, and goes away again "hung around" and did a lot of damage.

"But it wasn't a complete wipeout. We did get enough salmon back to generally repopulate the runs."
Fishers of the west coast waters say another positive sign is that sardines and whales are being seen in large numbers.

"So it is interesting as the water temperatures have cooled we are seeing all kinds of life," says Snell.
Another good sign is that all five salmon species are appearing even though it's early in the season, he says. Those species include chinook, chum, coho, pink and sockeye.
However, Snell's optimism doesn't carry over to the damage he and others in the fishery industry are seeing from large commercial fish farms along the coast.

The largest concentration of salmon farms are in the Broughton Archipelago located at the top end of Vancouver Island on the coast's mainland side near the large Knight Inlet.
"A lot of water flushes out of the inlet, so it was thought it would be a great place to put salmon farms because it would flush out all the effluent from those operations," he explains. "But the problem is that all of the juvenile wild salmon from the inlet migrate out close to these farms."
"Sea lice from the farms are a death sentence to the juvenile salmon."

Snell says the council he represents "isn't a lobby group, but even the wilderness tourism people are very concerned as are environmentalists."

"It's not just a salmon marketing issue. Wild salmon are an integral part of the food chain out here and they are a cultural icon in B.C."

To learn more about the various species of wild salmon from the west coast of Canada and its availability to consumers in other parts of the country, visit www.bcsalmon.ca.
Judy Creighton welcomes letters at 9 Kinnell St., Hamilton, Ont., L8R 2J8, but cannot promise to answer all correspondence personally. She can also be reached by email at jcreighton(at)golden.net.
Some of British Columbia's highly regarded chefs are sharing their favourite recipes for wild B.C.
salmon to showcase the diversity of the various species. Karen Barnaby, executive chef of The Fish House in Stanley Park, and Ron Shewchuk, international barbecue champion and cookbook author, both of Vancouver, have created dishes to show off their talents.

Both recipes are paired with the province's VQA wines, now available in many wine and liquor stores across Canada.
Cedar Planked Spring Salmon
1 cedar cooking plank, soaked overnight or at least 1 hour
125 ml ( 1/2 cup) Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey
250 ml (1 cup) pure maple syrup
5 ml (1 tsp) crushed hot red chilies
15 ml (1 tbsp) butter, room temperature
1.5 kg (3 lb) whole boneless wild BC spring salmon fillet, skin on
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
5 ml (1 tsp) granulated onion or onion powder
2 lemons, halved
Parsley sprigs, for garnish
15 ml (1 tbsp) finely chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley

To make sauce, in a small saucepan, combine whiskey and maple syrup. Bring to a low boil and reduce by about half until you have a thick syrup that coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and add chilies and butter, stirring constantly until butter has melted into sauce. Set aside and keep warm on stovetop.

Season skinless side of salmon with salt, pepper and onion. Let salmon sit for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature, until seasoning is moistened.
Preheat grill on medium-high for 5 to 10 minutes or until the cooking chamber rises above 260 C (500 F). Rinse plank and place on cooking grate. Cover grill and heat plank for 4 to 5 minutes or until it starts to smoke. Reduce heat to medium-low. Season plank with kosher salt and place salmon, skin side down, on plank.

Close cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until fish just flakes when pressed with a fork. Make sure plank doesn't catch fire; spray burning edges with water if it does.
When done, squeeze half a lemon over top and garnish with parsley sprigs and remaining lemon cut into slices. Drizzle a spoonful of the sauce and sprinkle parsley over each portion when serving.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Wine match: Pinot Noir.
Recipe source: "Planking Secrets - How to Grill With Wooden Planks for Unbeatable Barbecue Flavour" by Ron Shewchuk (Whitecap).
Chum Salmon With Soy Wasabi Glaze
125 to 165 g (4 to 6 oz) wild BC chum salmon fillets
Vegetable oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 green onions, thinly sliced
Soy Wasabi Glaze
30 ml (2 tbsp) fresh lime juice
45 ml (3 tbsp) soy sauce
15 ml (1 tbsp) prepared wasabi
90 ml (6 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
In a small saucepan, combine lime juice, soy sauce and wasabi.
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).
Lightly oil a baking dish. Season wild chum salmon to taste, place in baking dish and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until salmon is opaque in the centre and just flakes when pressed with a fork.
While salmon is cooking, heat soy mixture over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and add butter, whisking constantly until the butter is emulsified.
Serve salmon immediately, drenched with sauce and sprinkled with green onions.
Makes 4 servings.
Wine match: Pinot Gris.
Recipe source: Chef Karen Barnaby.