Good afternoon and thank you. It's a pleasure to be here with you today.
The Mange ton Saint-Laurent! collective was co-founded in 2018 by a group of researchers and scientists from various disciplines, along with a number of culinary chefs and artists. Its purpose is to promote well-known or lesser-known edible species from the St. Lawrence. I'm also a researcher in environmental and indigenous health at Université Laval. My projects focus on traditional cuisine and preventing exposure to contaminants.
We are here today to report on the most significant facts pertaining to the growing presence of seal products in Quebec markets and elsewhere in Canada. Our main contention is that diversifying St. Lawrence resources has many beneficial impacts, not only on the environment, but also public health, cuisine and the economy.
Here are a few facts. The Quebec fishery basically consists of three species: lobster, snow crab and northern shrimp. Marketing more seal products would help diversify the fishery economy and improve our resiliency to the ups and downs of climate change and international markets.
One of our studies shows that the grey seal is exceptionally rich in iron and all kinds of other good things. The meat is lean and less contaminated than the meat of bluefin tuna, and seal fat is remarkably rich in good fat, including omega-3 fatty acids. That means that it's possible to consume seal products responsibly, in a well-informed and safe manner, by adding them to a more diverse range of foods based on several St. Lawrence species.
Another of our studies demonstrated that public health stakeholders consider seal hunting to be sustainable and socially acceptable, and that it plays an important role in the economic development of coastal communities, which would like to be able to promote seal products to poorer families.
In the Magdalen Islands, seal has always played a key role in the local culture, diet and economy, and it still does. Seal hunting and seal products are a matter of local pride. Have you ever tasted "croxignoles", donuts fried in seal oil, or more recently, a seal burger or even seal tataki? You can find them in the Magdalen Islands and even, increasingly, in various restaurants in eastern Canada.
I'll now give the floor to Colombe Saint-Pierre, the collective's spokesperson.