The mission of Exploreramer de Sainte-Anne-des-Monts has always been to discover the marine fauna and flora of the St. Lawrence River. But the Gaspé museum also wants to bring back to our plates these local fish, seafood and algae which are still unknown to the general public.
“Even though we are a museum, the objective that I set for myself is to ensure that there are as many redfish as possible caught in the St. Lawrence by Quebec boats, that they are resold in Quebec and that they are eaten by Quebecers, Sandra Gauthier, general director of Explorer and the Fourchette bleue program, tells us from the outset. What we want is for there to be as little export of this resource to foreign markets as possible. »
Almost disappearing from Quebec waters in the early 1990s, the Atlantic redfish is back in force, whether in the river or the Saguenay river. Protected by the moratorium on groundfish in force since July 1992, the redfish has been present again for around ten years – it is suspected that the warming of deep waters would have favored its recovery.
Today, there are so many fish that there is not enough food to support their growth. “We are currently seeing redfish eating their young,” says M.me Gauthier. If we want this fish to grow, we must quickly fish a large portion of it so that we can ensure the sustainability of the biomass. »
We must therefore find a market for redfish, and by extension all other Quebec seafood products.
PHOTO CATHERINE ROY, PROVIDED BY EXPLORAMER
The most recent Salon Fourchette bleue welcomed more than twenty exhibitors and seafood producers to La Malbaie.
Enter the local market
Obviously, we could turn abroad, but that is precisely what Exploramer and Fourchette bleue are campaigning against. However, this is a serious trend that must be reversed. “Canada was built on the export of its resources,” recalls Sandra Gauthier. It goes back to the time of New France. Quebec seafood products have therefore always gone abroad. Obtaining fresh fish was impossible in Montreal just 100 years ago. And we realize today that we have products that are exceptional. »
The chefs of major restaurants were the first to take an interest in local products, but, despite their efforts, it was for a long time difficult to source locally. “The Charlevoix region set up the first flavor route in the 1990s, local products started from this type of initiative,” recalls Jean Soulard, who was at the time chef at Château Frontenac and who is spokesperson for the Salon Fourchette bleue, the third edition of which has just been held in La Malbaie. Now, we no longer talk about local products, everything is there and well established, except fish and shellfish. The fish that large foreign companies buy mainly come to us via the United States. We have great products, but they are difficult to reach our tables. It’s a whole sector that needs to be developed. »
That doesn’t mean we didn’t try, continues the starred chef. “There were people who brought us halibut or scallops, but it was occasional. Personally, I sometimes took my car to go to Montreal to buy fresh fish! »
PHOTO JÉRÔME LANDRY, PROVIDED BY EXPLORAMER
Certified products will be easily identifiable thanks to clear identification and in-store displays displaying the Fourchette bleue logo.
This is where Fourchette bleue hopes to do a useful job, by offering Quebec restaurants and fishmongers a certification that attests to their efforts to introduce local species that are still rarely found on consumers’ plates. To date, more than 200 restaurants and fishmongers have obtained their Fourchette bleue certification, to which will be added during the year all Metro grocery stores in Quebec, which will offer a variety of seaweed, seafood and fish from the St. Lawrence, notably Atlantic redfish.
Jean Soulard is convinced that Quebec consumers will follow suit. “Now, we are foodies in Quebec, we are curious,” he maintains. The Quebecer will try what you offer him, he will go for it, and if you take it out of the usual range of fish, if you say that it comes from us, he will try it and will want to find it when he goes. go to the grocery store. »
What is Blue Fork?
Created in 2009, Fourchette bleue is a program to promote little-known and under-exploited marine species of the St. Lawrence, from a perspective of sustainable development and protection of biodiversity. Its digital platform presents more than a hundred fact sheets on marine species of the St. Lawrence, including information on the quantity of biomass, fishing techniques, nutritional values, texture, flavor, cooking methods. and even recipes.
Visit the Fourchette bleue website