Delta recognizes area's oyster history with sign at plant site
Boundary Bay operation, which ceased in 1963, contributed over half of B.C.'s oysters
Councillors Ian Paton (left), Sylvia Bishop and Jeannie Kanakos, Mayor Lois Jackson, Delta North MLA Guy Gentner and Delta Heritage Advisory Commission member Marilyn Clayton and Warren Nottingham were at a sign unveiling Thursday morning.
Photograph by: Dave Willis , Delta Optimist
Mayor Lois Jackson unveiled an interpretive sign yesterday morning to recognize Delta's once-thriving oyster industry.
The sign is at the site of a former oyster shucking plant at the foot of 112th Street at Boundary Bay.
Unveiled as part of Delta's Heritage Week celebrations, the sign commemorates the plant, which operated from 1941 to 1963 and harvested indigenous oysters and later Atlantic oysters.
The B.C. Packers Ltd. plant employed 30 to 40 people at the height of its operation, Jackson said.
"It was a big operation," she said.
When B.C. Packers moved to the site, it acclaimed Boundary Bay as the "best oyster location on the Pacific."
At the time of its closure the plant contributed to over half of the province's oyster production.
Boundary Bay's tidal and wave action, salinity, oxygen content, augmented by fresh water and silt from surrounding rivers and sloughs, made ideal conditions for oyster propagation.
The plant's closure was brought about due to sewage pollution from the Nicomekl and Serpentine rivers.
The plant and pier were demolished in 1995.
The new sign is a re-creation of an original interpretive sign, completed in 1997, which fell victim to vandalism. Jackson said she hopes the new sign will stand for many years.
Delta's Heritage Week runs from Feb. 18 to 24.
As part of the week, the Cammidge House in Boundary Bay Regional Park is hosting an open house Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. featuring old photos and vintage cars.
