CONSIDER DONATING CAPELIN TO WILLING FOOD BANKS

Capelin are considered the “gold” fish of the sea because of their importance to the food chain not only for bird and ocean species but to people in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Each year, usually in July, they swim ashore or “roll” onto the beaches to reproduce or spawn. It’s during this period when people harvest these silvery fish.

Methods used are buckets, dip nets, hands and cast nets.

They can be pan fried, cooked over an open fire, corned, salted or smoked.

Historically capelin have been also used for fertilizer in vegetable gardens and as bait for fishing other species.

With the successful formation and implementation of Sharing the Harvest NL Inc. (STHNL) last year, licensed big game hunters can legally donate moose or caribou to food banks. Now we are introducing our newest initiative, the donation of capelin.

We have reached out to some food banks already and there is definitely interest.

STHNL will not be collecting or distributing capelin, but offering advice.

If you are interested in donating capelin to a food bank in your area, contact them first to ensure they will accept it.

We have contacted the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and it’s legal, as long as there is no transaction of money. Liability is not an issue. Under the Donations of Food Act, nobody has been or will be charged for donating food in good faith.

I have been donating capelin for four years, here’s my method:

From the beach, I collect them in a couple of garbage bags in a bucket because I never met a waterproof plastic bag and the bucket prevents spillage. Once home, I wash them in the sink but don’t clean them.

Next I put them in a strainer and then put a baker’s dozen (13) into a ziplock sandwich bag and into the deep freezer. Freezing eliminates smell and/ or mess and will guarantee quality. Then they can be transported in a box or cooler.

There could be hundreds of people at Middle Cove Beach just outside St. John’s participating in or watching the annual rolling of the capelin. Kids love it. If you are catching some but don’t want to donate to the food banks, that’s fine. But if you could get a few extra to give to a senior citizen in your life, they will be pleased.

If you require any information, send us a message on our Facebook page or website. Be sure to post your capelin activity there as well — recipes, meals, and especially pictures or stories if you are making a donation. If you are making a donation, please mention our name, Sharing the Harvest NL. You can report capelin sightings and see where they are at ecapelin.ca

The food fishery is coming too and STHNL will be promoting the donation of codfish, as well as blueberries and fresh vegetables around August and then back to moose and caribou this fall.

Barry Fordham Sharing the Harvest NL St. John’s