the comox valley
From the snow-capped mountains to the salty sea, time spent in the Comox Valley is the stuff memories are made of. Whether you want a vacation filled with outdoor adventure, relaxation, celebration or urban cultural pursuits, you'll find it in the Comox Valley.
Explore our incredible surroundings and unique urban centres. Cast a line for your supper, paddle down pristine rivers, hike and ski the alpine heights. Browse an amazing array of unique shops, take in a live theatre performance or art show. Experience the burst of genuine flavour that comes from food fresh from the farm and ocean.
For detailed information visit us at www.tourism-comox-valley.bc.ca
 COMOX BAY FISH WEIRSIt has been confirmed that the wooden stakes visible in the
tidal flats of Comox Bay are the remnants of a sophisticated,
industrial-scale fishing system that far pre-dates
any European contact. Carbon-14 dating, thus far, has
determined that the weirs have been in use for approximately
1300 years! It may prove to be the
largest prehistoric architectural feature on the West Coast.
The Comox Bay fish weirs are unlike any other fish traps as
the extensive number of wood stakes covers
at least four square kilometres. The series
of barriers, corrals and interconnected passages are placed
in distinctive linear and complex patterns to exploit
the rise and fall of the tides. The discovery provides
strong evidence of a continuous intensive economic exploitation
of a major renewable resource and suggests expert engineering
in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the
system. Anthropologists may have to rethink their estimates
of pre-contact population densities of the native habitants
of the West Coast as this fish weir system was capable
of supporting a lot of people. This scientific proof,
accompanied by the solid oral history of our First Nations,
confirms the long-term existence of a huge and important
fishery that once existed in Comox Bay. Today, the
Comox First Nation is actively involved in the commercial
shellfish aquaculture business with their wholly owned
and operated Pentlatch Seafoods Ltd. ISLAND COMOX TERRITORYHistorically, the Island Comox territory extended
from Salmon River to Cape Lazo/Point
Holmes, and included Quadra Island.
However, by the time of contact with Europeans in 1792, the
Lekwiltok had already begun their aggressive
southward expansion that would eventually displace the
Island Comox from their homelands. Many of the remaining
Island Comox settled around Comox Bay and Denman
Island and lived among the Pentlatch
whose territory extended from Cape Lazo to
Fanny Bay. The Pentlatch at this time were
already greatly affected by diseases and battles.
Together the Island Comox and the Pentlatch (once old enemies)
sought friendship and alliance for mutual protection
and defence against the invading Lekwiltok. Since the mid to
late 1800s, the Comox have been composed of descendants of Pentlatch,
various Island Comox local groups, and Lekwiltok who together
formed a village at the old winter village of the Pentlatch.
Today, the Comox Indian Reserve No. 1 is situated
near this former village site.
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