Oolichans

I remember as a child, every year we would have Oolichans.  I wondered why I never see them anymore.  I found this article and thought I would share it for everyone who grew up eating oolichans every late February and early March.  I understand the Fraser River run has declined.  I don't remember if my dad caught them or bought them.

Only about 15 rivers in BC still carry oolichan, including:

• Skeena River
• Bella Coola River
• Kemano River
• Nass River
• Fraser River (hisorically, though runs have declined)

First Nations on the coast mark winter’s end with the return of a small silver fish – now rebounding in abundance in some areas under Nations-led stewardship.

As oolichan return to spawn, First Nations on the coast mark the transition from winter to spring with celebrations such as Hoobiyee and the spring equinox.

For millennia, First Nations on the coast of British Columbia have sustainably harvested oolichan, a finger-sized oily fish that is a member of the smelt family. Oolichan (also spelled eulachon, ooligan, and hooligan, depending on where you are) are sometimes called candlefish because, when dried, they hold enough oil to burn like candles.

Oolichan fish are collected in a white bucket. 

Every spring, Haisla family groups travel to Kemano River to harvest oolichan. Haisla boil aged oolichan to create a white grease to use for medicine and trade with neighbouring villages. 

Oolichan are of great significance to First Nations on the coast, offering substantial sustenance at the end of winter. They have been used for thousands of years for food, medicine, ceremonies, and trade. First Nations people process the grease from aged oolichan and transport it through the mountains to trade with coastal and interior communities. These trade routes, also known as GREASE TRAILS, have lasted  THOUSANDS of years and can still be walked to this day.

Like salmon, oolichan spend the majority of their lives in ocean waters and return to their spawning grounds in rivers and streams to complete their life cycle. But, since the early 90s, oolichan populations have DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY, likely due to habitat loss, overfishing, pollution, and climate change. According to Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance records, there are just 15 RIVERS IN BC CARRYING OOLICHAN.

Nuxalk scientist Ts’xwiixw Megan Moody, has STUDIED oolichan populations and impacts of climate change to oolichan. Her research and previous work in the field as fisheries manager and, later, stewardship director for Nuxalk Nation, combines Traditional Knowledge and Western scientific methods.

In 2024, Nuxalk Nation led stewardship efforts that saw the biggest RETURN OF OOLICHAN to their territory, the Bella Coola River, in decades.

“Although this run was no where near historical run sizes,” says Megan. “The schools of fish, for a short period of time, were a welcome sight.”

Sputc (the Nuxalk word for oolichan) continue to be extensively researched by Nuxalk experts and the Nuxalk Stewardship Office. Since 2001, the Nuxalk Fish and Wildlife Department have conducted an annual Nuxalk Ooligan Study monitoring the Bella Coola River population.

“The study has generated over 25 years of high quality data and understanding of local oolichan science and status,” says Megan.

A person holds a single oolichan fish in their hand. The fish is very small and fits in the palm of their hand.  Ooolichan play an important role in the physical health and cultural well-being of many coastal First Nations. 

“A book called Alhqulh ti Sputc The Sputc Book was created and based on extensive community-engaged research that was conducted between 2014 to 2017.” Alhqulh ti Sputc brings together ancestral (traditional) and contemporary Nuxalk knowledge about oolichan in all its forms,” shares Megan.

Distributed to all community members, and officially approved by Hereditary leaders, this book has become a household staple used in the school curriculum and as an example for other similar projects. It includes detailed knowledge about Nuxalk stewardship values and practices.

Megan, who is also a Coast Funds board director, is working with her community on a Nuxalk stewardship plan for sputc.

“This plan aims to build on place-based ancestral and contemporary Nuxalk eulachon knowledge, governance, and science,” she says. “It is situated within and connected to the larger context of eulachon and anadromous fisheries management and Indigenous governance along the coast.”

First Fish, First Crescent Moon

Further north, Nisga’a construct camps along the banks of Ḵ’alii Aksim Lisims Nass River to harvest and process oolichan, a tradition they’ve been practicing since before recorded time.

Historically, Nisga’a would spend months in Lax– Da’oots’ip as they caught the first fish of the year. In a 2018 STORY published by Coast Funds, Nicole Morven, Harvest Monitoring Coordinator with Nisga’a Fisheries and Wildlife Department, recalled hearing from Elders that camps would operate for up to three months. “The women would be there too,” she said. “Helping to get wood and clean up, getting the poles and gear ready for the whole season.”

Although oolichan have always played a major role in the trading economies and culture of many First Nations, in Nisga’a territory the fish was never extensively exploited through Western commercial economies.

In her thesis research, Megan Moody, summarized that a small commercial fishery for Ḵ’alii Aksim Lisims oolichan existed in the first half of the 1900s until the Nisga’a Tribal Council Convention declared in 1955 that “no Nass River caught oolichans be sold commercially.” Because of this, oolichan return to Ḵ’alii Aksim Lisims in abundance every year.

Today, most of the oolichan caught and processed on the Nass River are distributed among community members or traded with neighbouring First Nations. Oolichan continues to play a significant role in the economies of coastal communities as Nisga’a citizens trade their resource for shellfish, herring, seaweed, and halibut.

Oolichan, called saak by Nisg̱a’a people, hang to dry at a camp along the Nass River. 

Chief Harry Nyce Sr says the fish continues to be a mainstay of Nisga’a culture. “For us, it is a life-saving fish,” he says. “It’s the first fish that comes in the New Year arriving as winter supplies are dwindling.” HOOBIYEE, the Nisga’a new year, starts during spring equinox with the migration of oolichan into Ḵ’alii Aksim Lisims.

Lasting about a week, Hoobiyee celebrates the waxing crescent moon. The unique positioning of the moon and stars is said to PREDICT the spring harvest of oolichan, salmon, and other food sources, preparing Nisga’a for the year ahead. Today, the celebration, which is deeply rooted in thousand-year-old Nisga’a traditions, has been adopted by other Indigenous Nations.

This year, Nisga’a celebrated Hoobiyee at an event in GITWINKSIHLKW between February 20 to 21, 2026.

People wearing regalia hold up a lit-up crescent moon. 

Hoobiyee, the Nisg̱a’a new year, is celebrated in the Village of Gitwinksihlkw. Each year, the arrival of spawning oolichan signals the beginning of the Nisga’a new year.   

Vancouver’s Granville Street Shines Again: A Transformation Worth Celebrating

 

When Vancouver first announced it would be a FIFA host city, plenty of people were sceptical. We’ve all seen big promises come and go, and for many of us, Granville Street had become a place we simply avoided. Crime, open drug use, and the heartbreaking reality of homelessness kept locals away. I hadn’t walked down Granville in years — and I wasn’t alone.

But something remarkable happened.

In preparation for welcoming the world, the City of Vancouver rolled up its sleeves and took action. Granville Street was cleaned up, reimagined, and brought back to life. And the result is nothing short of astonishing.

Walking down Granville now feels like stepping into a different city. The street is closed to traffic, opening it up to people instead — families, visitors, locals, all wandering freely. Street bars spill out with energy, music drifts through the air, and there’s a sense of celebration that feels contagious.

And yes, the police presence is noticeable — but in the best possible way. It feels safe. It feels cared for. It feels like a place you want to be.

For the first time in years, Granville Street feels vibrant, welcoming, and alive.

No wonder visitors from around the world were impressed. Vancouver showed what can happen when a city commits to reclaiming its public spaces and making them shine again. FIFA may have been the catalyst, but the transformation is something every Vancouverite can appreciate.

So here’s a genuine thank you to the City of Vancouver. You did an incredible job — and you reminded us of what Granville Street can be.

We took the Canada Line downtown and got off at Yaletown-Roadhouse. We walked up Davie Street to Granville Street.

There were a few of these on Granville Street and everyone was in use

The England-Norway game just started when we were there.  Many of the outside bars had TV's and lots of people were watching.  We got home in the extra time and loved the end of the game.

Corruption at it's finest

Every so often, a news story pops up that feels strangely inconsistent depending on where you hear it. That’s exactly what happened this week with reports about a piece of property the City of Surrey recently purchased. After hearing one version on TV and reading a very different take in print, I decided to look into it myself.

The City of Surrey purchased a parcel of land for $6.8 million. That number alone raised eyebrows — not because cities don’t buy land, but because of what came next. A former owner publicly stated that the property was worth less than $3 million.

That’s a striking gap.

When two sources differ by more than half the value, it’s worth pausing and asking a few basic questions:

• Why does the City’s purchase price sit so much higher?

• Was the land appraised differently for municipal purposes?

• Are there zoning changes, future plans, or strategic reasons that would justify paying more?

• Or is this simply a case where the public deserves clearer communication?

In a city as large and fast‑growing as Surrey, land transactions can be complicated. But transparency shouldn’t be. When numbers diverge this dramatically, residents naturally want to understand what’s behind the decision. The land is being used to increase the Surrey Lake Park, so no development or zoning changes are required.

So I went looking — not for drama, but for clarity. And sometimes, clarity begins with simply noticing when the stories don’t line up.

I read this spreadsheet from the City of Surrey and the land that's in question is the last one on this acquisition sheet:

I apologize as this is the best copy I could get.  It's on the City of Surrey website if you want to see the original.  

https://www.surrey.ca/news-events/news/city-of-surrey-responds-inaccurate-claims-about-property-acquisitions

Then I went onto the BC Assessment website.  The appraised prices are shown:

This is an election year!   The City of Surrey Appraisal is 7.8 million.  The Province of BC Assessment was 2.933 million!

It's time for an independent police force to investigate this!  

Another wonderful Red Hat Lunch & The World

We didn't go downtown when FIFA was on in Vancouver because of the crowds.  Yesterday, Pat arranged our Red Hat lunch.  It was at the Tap and Barrel Shipyards in North Vancouver.  It's a nice trip across on the Sea Bus.  We didn't have a lot of sisters as many are travelling.  Pat's sister Kathleen is visiting from the UK and her daughter Sandra also joined us.

FIFA was showing the France - Morroco game on the big screen.  Lots of people at the pub watching the game:

We walked over to the Shipyards Fan Zone

The World Cruise Ship

It was docked at Canada Place yesterday.  It's been sailing around British Columbia.  It's also sailing to Victoria, Salt Spring Island, Port Alberni, Haida Gwaii and Prince Rupert.  

It's the planet's largest private residential yacht at 644 feet/196 meters - the only ship of its kind currently in operation sailing a continuous itineray across every ocean and continent.  Aboard this truly luxury ship are amenities that exceed even the highest standards of luxury travel.

Here is the itinerary for this year:

A New Year in the Southern Hemisphere

The adventure begins where summer is in full bloom: Australia and New Zealand. These lands feel like nature’s open‑air museum — kangaroos bounding across sun‑washed plains, fjords carved by ancient glaciers, and cities that hum with coastal energy. It’s a gentle, generous start to a year that will soon turn wild.

A Rare Antarctic Semi‑Circumnavigation

Few travelers ever see Antarctica. Fewer still experience a semi‑circumnavigation — a sweeping, once‑in‑a‑lifetime arc along the White Continent’s remote edges. Here, silence becomes a landscape of its own. Icebergs glow blue from within, penguin colonies chatter like tiny communities, and the horizon stretches so far it feels like the edge of the world. This portion alone could define a lifetime of travel, yet on this voyage, it’s only the beginning.

South America and the Far Pacific

From Antarctica’s stark beauty, the ship rises into the color and rhythm of South America. Think tango in Buenos Aires, the roar of Iguazu Falls, and markets overflowing with tropical fruit and handmade textiles. Then comes the remote Pacific — islands that seem to float in time. French Polynesia’s lagoons shimmer like liquid turquoise, while Hawaii offers volcanic drama and the warm embrace of aloha.

The U.S. West Coast adds a familiar touch: rugged cliffs, redwood forests, and cities that have shaped modern culture.

Summer in British Columbia and Alaska

By mid‑year, the ship reaches the Pacific Northwest, where summer reveals a different kind of majesty. British Columbia’s coastline is a tapestry of islands, inlets, and wildlife — orcas slicing through calm water, eagles perched like sentinels in cedar trees. Alaska follows with its glaciers, gold‑rush towns, and endless twilight skies. It’s a season of wild beauty, the kind that reminds you how vast and alive the world still is.

An Immersive Passage Through East Asia

As autumn approaches, the voyage turns toward Asia. Japan’s temples and neon avenues, South Korea’s dynamic cities, China’s deep historical roots, and the Philippines’ warm, welcoming islands create a mosaic of culture and tradition. Each stop feels like opening a new chapter — different languages, different flavors, different ways of seeing the world.

Southeast Asia and a Festive Finale

The final stretch brings the ship into Southeast Asia, where history and spirituality meet in vibrant daily life. From the lantern‑lit streets of Vietnam to the golden temples of Thailand, every port offers something unforgettable. And then, as the year draws to a close, the journey culminates in Singapore — a city that celebrates innovation, diversity, and the joy of gathering. Ringing in the New Year here feels like stepping into the future.

I know people are going to want to know the cost so if you are curious:

What a Year on The World Really Costs

1. Residence Purchase or Lease

To live aboard The World, you must first secure a residence. Current market ranges:

• Entry-level studio/one‑bedroom: USD $825,000 to $3 million

• Larger multi‑bedroom residences: USD $4 million to $15+ million

• Some sources cite an entry fee as high as USD $8 million for certain long‑term leases.

This is a purchase, not a fare — you’re buying into a private global community.

2. Annual Service & Operating Fees

These are mandatory and cover crew, fuel, dining, maintenance, and global operations:

• USD $60,000 to $300,000 per year (depending on residence size and services)

3. Additional Annual Costs

Typical yearly expenses include:

• Insurance: USD $1,000–$6,000

• Amenities & perks: USD $200–$1,200

• Taxes & port fees: USD $0–$5,000

• Maintenance plans: USD $1,500–$4,000

Fresh Street Market Salmon & Berry Festival

 

The Snowbirds

 

The Snowbirds’ Wings Over White Rock performance on August 12, 2026 is scheduled to start around 5:00 p.m. and run for approximately 45 minutes.

Although the official national schedule lists White Rock as a flypast, local organizers confirmed it will in fact be a full show over Semiahmoo Bay this year.

The team typically stages from Boundary Bay Airport, then enters the bay from the southwest, performing over the water with arcs toward the pier and Marine Drive.

🌅 Best Viewing Spots

These are based on past years, crowd flow, and sightlines along the bay:

1. White Rock Pier (the classic spot)

• Unobstructed views of the full performance box

• You’ll feel the aircraft pass almost overhead

• Fills up early — by 3:30 p.m. it’s usually shoulder‑to‑shoulder

2. East Beach (near the Grand Chief Bernard Robert Charles Memorial Plaza)

• Excellent angles for formation entries

• Less crowded than the pier

• Good if you prefer space and a quieter vibe

3. West Beach / Marine Drive (near the Boathouse)

• Great for photography — aircraft often bank in this direction

• Restaurants and benches nearby

• Slightly more crowded than East Beach but calmer than the pier

4. Centennial Park Upper Walkway

• Elevated view over the bay

• Perfect if you want to avoid the Marine Drive crush

• Bring binoculars for the best experience

🚗 Traffic, Parking & Road Closures

White Rock usually implements the following patterns for major waterfront events:

Parking

• West Beach lots: typically full by 2:30–3:00 p.m.

• East Beach lots: fill more slowly; better chance until ~4:00 p.m.

• Centennial Arena: reliable overflow parking with a 10–12 minute downhill walk.

Road Closures

Expect intermittent closures or restrictions along:

• Marine Drive (especially near the pier)

• Oxford Street hill (traffic control for pedestrian flow)

RCMP usually sets up soft closures rather than full barricades, but delays are guaranteed.

Transit

• Route 361 and 362 run along Marine Drive.

• Buses often switch to “drop‑off only” near the pier once crowds build.

• If you’re coming from Surrey Centre or Guildford, the R1 → 351 connection is the smoothest.

Timing Tips for a Stress‑Free Experience

• Arrive by 3:30 p.m. if you want a prime spot.

• Bring a hat and water — August sun on the promenade can be intense.

• If you prefer less crowd density, East Beach around 4:15 p.m. is ideal.

• The Snowbirds often do a warm‑up pass 10–15 minutes before showtime.

Cashless society?

I hope everyone will read Dave Ramsey’s comments from the UK about going cashless. It’s a two minute read. No one has explained it better. He brings up several situations I'd never considered. 

NO CASH means ABSOLUTELY NO CASH. Here is an idea. The next store you go in and order a drink or want to buy their product and they tell you “card only” …. Walk away, I have done this out of principle.

Dave Ramsey:

HERE'S WHAT NO CASH ACTUALLY MEANS:

A cashless society means no cash. Zero.  It doesn’t mean mostly cashless and you can still use a ‘wee bit of cash here & there’.  Cashless means fully digital, fully traceable, fully controlled. I think those who support a cashless society aren’t fully aware of what they are asking for.  A cashless society means:

* If you are struggling with your mortgage on a particular month, you can’t do an odd job to get you through.

* Your child can’t go & help the local farmer to earn a bit of summer cash.

* No more cash slipped into the hands of a child as a good luck charm or from their grandparent when going on holidays.

* No more money in birthday cards.

* No more piggy banks for your child to collect pocket money & to learn about the value of earning.

* No more cash for a rainy day fund or for that something special you have been putting £20 a week away for.

* No more little jobs on the side because your wages barely cover the bills or put food on the table.

* No more charity collections.

* No more selling bits & pieces from your home that you no longer want/need for a bit of cash in return.

* No more cash gifts from relatives or loved ones.

What a cashless society does guarantee:

* Banks have full control of every single penny you own.

* Every transaction you make is recorded.

* All your movements & actions are traceable.

* Access to your money can be blocked at the click of a button when/if banks need ‘clarification’ from you which will take about 3 weeks, a thousand questions answered & five thousand passwords.

* You will have no choice but to declare & be taxed on every pound in your possession.

* The government WILL decide what you can & cannot purchase.

* If your transactions are deemed in any way questionable, by those who create the questions, your money will be frozen, ‘for your own good’.

Forget about cash being dirty.  Stop being so easily led.  Cash has been around for a very, very, very long time & it gives you control over how you trade with the world. It gives you independence. 

If you are a customer, pay with cash.  If you are a shop owner, remove those ridiculous signs that ask people to pay by card.  Cash is a legal tender, it is our right to pay with cash.  Banks are making it increasingly difficult to deposit cash. 

Please open your eyes.  Please stop believing everything you are being told. Almost every single topic in today’s world is tainted with corruption & hidden agendas. 

Pay with cash & please say no to a cashless society while you still have the choice.   

My take:  Criminals will continue to use Bitcoin so it can't be traced.  I love going to the grocery store with a $100 bill and watching Gen Z cashiers look at it as if it's quaint!  Watching them make change is hysterical.