Chapters 3.11
3.11 Black Katy Chitons
Hannah Kennedy, University of Guelph, Canada
Suggested citation for this chapter.
Kennedy,H. (2022) Fish And Freshwater/Marine Invertebrates. In The Student Encyclopedia of Canadian Indigenous Foods. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.firstnationsfoods.org/
Introduction
Black Katy Chitons are a traditional Indigenous food source that is no longer widely eaten today. Chitons were eaten in many Indigenous communities throughout Canada and each community had its own way of cleaning, cooking, and eating the Chitons. This report will teach readers about chitons, their history as well as modern-day applications of chitons.
Chitons Background
Black Katy Chiton also has the scientific name Katharina tunicata it will be referred to as both Black Katy Chiton, Katharina Tunicata, and Black Chiton within the contents of this report. Katharina Tunicata is a type of mollusc that is native to the pacific coast of Canada (Kuhnlein, Humphries, 2017). Katharina Tunicata is a small black organism that has eight small back plates running down the middle of the organism these as well as the rest of the anatomy can be seen in Figure 1, these eight back plates are often the identifiers used to find chitons when hunting them out for harvest (Eernisse, n.d). The eight plates on the chitons are also known as valves. The middle six are known as the intermediate valves and the ones at either end are known as terminal valves these valves are surrounded by a leather-like surface called the girdle. Chitons usually attach to hard flat surfaces with their foot and do not move around much. When they do move, they use their foot and secreted mucus to move around, they can also use waterlogged wood and hydrothermal venting to get from place to place (Eernisse, n.d). The Chiton lifecycle starts at reproduction like most lifecycles do, chiton reproducing is like us in that they have two sexes and one with an egg and another with sperm but that is where the similarities cut off because chitons reproduce through gametes that are spawned freely and carried through respiratory currents to the plankton where a trochophore larva will hatch within one to two days (Eernisse, n.d).
Habitat and Consumption
Katharina Tunicata can be found within the intertidal zones of the northwest pacific coast among the rocky intertidal shorelines and in the surf. Considering what we know as the kelp highway helps to provide a better look into Indigenous peoples’ use of chitons. Indigenous peoples’ primary source of shellfish in their diets was chitons so the rocky shores of the kelp beds provide excellent habitat for the chitons and so an abundance of chitons could be found in these areas which is more than likely why they became a traditional food in indigenous culture (Croes, 2015). Chitons have a lifespan of about three years, and they reach their age of being good to eat at around two years of age, so the turnover rate is high enough that there was always a steady supply of chitons available to the Indigenous peoples who ate them. Chitons were thought of as a delicacy in many Indigenous communities and were very popular, the communities of the Coast Salish people :Tlingit tribe as well as Nootka people were known to have chitons as one of the main foods in their diets (Kuhnlein, H.V, M.M. Humphries. 2017).
The harvest and collection of chitons consisted of prying them from the rock they had anchored themselves to usually using sticks and baskets, the Kwakiutl communities would use sharpened hemlock branches to pry the chitons off the rocks, and then they were placed in baskets for transport back to where they would be cleaned and prepared for eating (Croes, 2015). Chitons were cooked as well as eaten raw and there were many ways that these organisms were prepared for consumption since each community had its own way of going about it. The Kwakiutl groups soaked their chitons in fresh water for five days prior to cooking and consuming them, they would soak for four days after they were caught, post soak they would be prepared by being cleaned and then soaked for one more day before being cooked and cleaned again. Chitons were often cooked by fire and sometimes by being boiled, the chitons were placed on hot coals or on wood for a few minutes to allow them to fully cook and marinate in their own juices after being cooked the chiton’s internal organs, back plates, and often times the black leathery girdle was also removed before eating (Croes, 2015). Chitons were eaten raw, primarily by the Nootka tribe. They could be pounded for a more tender less chewy flesh and when they were eaten raw and unpounded it involved cutting off the foot of the animal, and then it could be chewed similarly to chewing gum today (Croes, 2015). The quick boiling method is another way of cooking these animals, it involves putting them in boiling water for only a few minutes to allow them to fully cook and then they are prepped and cleaned the same way as for cooking before eating, the chitons are straightened out since they curl into a ball during cooking and back plates and internal organs are removed, the gonads of the chiton are kept and also eaten but are considered more of a delicacy by many indigenous communities (Croes, 2015). Overall the Chiton was and still is a delicacy to the indigenous communities who eat them today and are still inhabiting the rocky intertidal shores of the pacific coast.
History
Chitons are history in themselves since they are not widely eaten today most of what we know about them is history, however, there are historical teachings about chitons in Indigenous communities. For the Haida , it was thought that chitons were responsible for giving birth to the first male and female people on the planet. Chitons also had a certain way of reflecting one’s social status, high-ranked people in communities were named after chitons to show their high status within the community (Croes, 2015). Young men were also not supposed to eat the mouth of the chiton because it was widely considered to be the vagina of the chiton. Chitons were also thought to have descended from snails that are also considered a type of mollusc, it was thought that the snail grew up and left his shell or “cradle” behind and became a slug and this slug eventually made its way down to the seashore where it became stuck and evolved into the chiton (Croes,2015). The Black Katy Chiton had and most likely still has many Indigenous teachings but to investigate this further research would be required.
Geography
Black Katy Chitons are found in the intertidal zones of the Pacific Ocean meaning that they are located all along the Pacific coast
In figure two, highlighted in yellow are the intertidal zones where chitons could be found today. Intertidal zones are very rich in algae which is why this is the primary chiton habitat because chiton’s primary food source is algae (Kuhnlein, H.V, M.M. Humphries. 2017) . The red and brown algae within these intertidal zones is another reason that the chitons are found here since they’re not very big or fast movers so being close to their food source is especially important. Chitons can still be found in these intertidal zones today and are still eaten by many indigenous communities and non-indigenous people who are interested in trying traditional indigenous foods and expanding their palate.
Health Benefits
Chitons are very good sources of vitamin A as well as niacin, riboflavin, and calcium. In 100 grams of Black Katy Chiton, there is just over a quarter worth of the daily recommended intake of vitamin A and about an eighth worth of the daily recommended intake of niacin, riboflavin, and calcium. In each Chiton, there are about 50 grams of actual edible meat meaning it would only take about 2 of these Chitons to get these nutrients from them (Croes, 2015). The Black Katy Chiton also has other health benefits, for example being a great source of protein this is one of the main factors contributing to the indigenous consumption of chitons.
Limitations
The limitations that come with Black Katy Chitons have a lot to do with the seasons and what season they are good in and what seasons they are not good to eat in. Historically Chitons were most often harvested in spring and fall because this is when they were the most tender and the sweetest. In the winter and summer months, the chiton was much chewier and harder to eat so they were avoided. In the summer months, The Black Katy Chiton was also avoided because shellfish poisoning was a lot more likely during these warmer months, when it comes to chitons that are (Kuhnlein, H.V, M.M. Humphries. 2017). There are harvesting issues when it comes to these animals as well because when they are hunted, they need to be pried off the rocks very carefully because if they are damaged, they go much chewier and become inedible. Chitons also need certain environments to be able to survive and thrive in and although they do well in rougher environments these intertidal areas are very hard to recreate so raising chitons is a very difficult task to be able to do, let alone do well (J.Dooman, G.E.Beatty, J.D.Sigwart, J.Provan, 2011).
References
1.Kuhnlein, H.V. and M.M. Humphries. 2017. Traditional Animal Foods of Indigenous Peoples of Northern North America: http://traditionalanimalfoods.org/. Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment, McGill University, Montreal
2. Eernisse, D. J., N.d. Encyclopedia of tidepools and rocky shores, Vol.1. pages 127-130 https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=uufQnE7MzMkC&oi=fnd&pg=PA127&dq=black+katy+chiton+anatomy&ots=wIFAtHZsJb&sig=ci0t8RlrHjMMaOtOPuflGCZ1wIE&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
3.Croes, D.R. (2015). The undervalued Black Katy Chiton as shellfish, Vol.49. pages 13-21 https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=KspWDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA13&dq=black+chiton+katharina+tunicata&ots=xDnmmhgFt6&sig=aRugUEm-04tYpp2bnB25DQnwG7E#v=onepage&q=black%20chiton%20katharina%20tunicata&f=false
4.J. Doonan, E. Beatty, J.D. Sigwart and J. Provan. (2011). Title? School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK Received 5 November 2011; revised 22 January 2012; accepted for publication 22 January 2012bij_1892 589..597
5.Victoria news staff, (2022). Retrieved from: https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/770429/viewContent/3268133/View
6.Fox, Initial (2011). Katharina Tunicata, Retrieved from: https://lanwebs.lander.edu/faculty/rsfox/invertebrates/katharina.html