Fanny Bay, British Columbia

Settlement of Fanny Bay
—  Settlement  —
Location of Fanny Bay in British Columbia
Coordinates: 49°29′41″N 124°49′11″W
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Region	Vancouver Island
Regional district	Comox Valley
Area
• Total	7.40 km2 (2.86 sq mi)
Elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	815
• Density	110.1/km2 (285/sq mi)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
Postal code span	V0R 1W0
Highways	19A
Waterways	Baynes Sound

Fanny Bay is a small hamlet in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located on Baynes Sound on the east coast of Vancouver Island. In 2001, its population was listed as 744. It is best-known for its fine oysters.

Origin of the name

There is no consensus on the origin of the name "Fanny Bay" and none of the various explanations — comical, romantic, local or historical — can be considered without scepticism. The name first appeared on British Columbia maps in 1913 and was officially adopted by the government in 1923. This adoption was based on British Admiralty charts of the 1860s, taken from surveys by Royal Navy Captain G.H. Richards. However, if Capt. Richards knew who "Fanny" was, he did not record the information. Geographer A.B. McNeill wrote in his book Origin of Station Names, Esquimalt and Nanaimo Division that "...Fanny Bay was named after a sea captain who lived in this vicinity". Alas, like Capt. Richards, McNeill provides no dates or any other supporting information. A popular and persistent local theory holds that Fanny Bay was named by Captain George Vancouver in 1792. However, Capt. Vancouver's nautical charts and journals only describe the east side of the nearest body of water, the Strait of Georgia (including Texada Island). He had nothing more than a rough outline of the eastern shore of Vancouver Island between Nanaimo and Comox, and his charts omitted several nearby islands and other features. Therefore, it seems highly unlikely that Capt. Vancouver would have been able to proffer this name.

Shellfish

Fanny Bay is well-known as a source of farmed shellfish, specifically Pacific oysters (scientific name Crassostrea gigas), manila clams (Venerupis philippinarum), savoury clams (Nuttallia obscurata) and mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), for both domestic and global markets. Fanny Bay, BC was first seeded with oyster and clam seed after World War II (circa 1947) by a pioneer in oyster aquaculture, Joseph McLellan. McLellan imported his first batch of oyster seed from Japan and seeded the beach areas around Fanny Bay - Mud Bay, Ship Point, Buckley Bay and Denman Island. His work started what is now a primary industry in the South Coast of British Columbia, Canada, employing over hundred people and contributing significantly to the economy of the Baynes Sound region.^{[citation needed]}

His descendants, the McLellan family, still own and operate the oyster and clam farm located in Fanny Bay, Mac's Oysters Ltd.. A fourth-generation family shellfish farm, Mac's Oysters Ltd., is the only shellfish processor situated in Fanny Bay, though there is another company by that name, located in Union Bay approximately 11 km to the south. A meaningful discussion of Fanny Bay would have to involve Mac's Oysters Ltd, as they are a significant player in the Canadian farmed shellfish industry, processing approximately 34% of all of British Columbia's farmed oysters and clams from this area.^{[citation needed]}

Within food circles Fanny Bay is synonymous with oysters.^{[citation needed]} Interestingly enough, manila clam seed was inadvertently included in Joseph McLellan's initial seed shipments from Japan. Today the harvest of the succulent manila clam is as important as oysters to British Columbia's shellfish economy.^{[citation needed]}

External links

• "Fanny Bay (post office)". BC Geographical Names. http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/11465.html. 
• "Fanny Bay (community)". BC Geographical Names. http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/11464.html.