I recently had a few days of R&R on the West Coast (some call it the "Left Coast"), specifically on the southern tip of Vancouver Island.

Spent a lot of time puttering along the beaches with DW, who loves flipping big rocks to see who's living underneath. At low tide, there was everything from crabs and snails to juvenile eel-like fish and sizeable oysters. Clams too. And all sorts of invertebrates (polykeet (sp?) worms etc.).

In other words, food for the taking. Lots of it. (Hey, I'm a guy, if I can't eat it, burn it, or snuggle up, what's the point?) But there were also permanent "red tide" warning signs in the sheltered bays.

Anybody out there on the tidal flats, scrounging up free chow? Stories welcome, and wisdom appreciated.