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SEATTLE AND PORTLAND'S BEST WATERFRONT SEAFOOD RESTAURANTS |
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FISHMONGER'S BLOG—SEATTLE AND PORTLANDby Chris Darst, Salty's Fishmonger for Seattle and Portland [ Email ] August 2011
July 2011Legendary Columbia River “June Hog” salmon runs.I am writing this blog in the waning days of June and I’ve been remembering the stories my grandfather used to tell me about the legendary “June Hog” salmon runs of the Columbia River. It’s been estimated that the ancestral population of Chinook salmon in the Columbia River was between 2 and 4 million fish. The largest of these were called June Hogs and they were said to average between 60 and 80 pounds apiece with some reaching upwards of 125 pounds. These behemoths had huge energy reserves, produced large numbers of offspring and were able to travel over 1,000 miles upstream to spawn in the headwaters of the Columbia River in Southeastern Canada. Today, the June Hogs are still revered among Columbia River salmon fishermen even if there are no true specimens left. The average size of a Columbia River summer Chinook salmon now is just under 20 pounds, with 30 pounders not uncommon. Even though the wild run appears to be all but extinct, the hatchery runs have been steadily rebounding with the help of smaller ocean harvests and spill to aid the juvenile migration at the five mid-Columbia dams. Expect a large number of these fish to return this year to spawn in the tributaries of the Wenatchee, Methow and Okanogan Rivers of northern Washington. They might not be as big as their predecessors, but they still taste just as good. Our photo was taken around 1910 at the Union Fisherman’s Dock in Astoria, Oregon. Left to right—salmon weighs 116 and 121 pounds. They were salted down on 100-pound barrels and sent to Europe on sailing ships. Our friends at Sky’s Guide Service share their photo with us; see their story "Springers on Steroids — Legend of the June Hogs" and then persuse our menus. The June Hogs are here, come and get it! Make reservations online today. June 2011 Apart from Alaska, our own Pacific coastline will be supplementing the harvest with Washington and Oregon trolls. They are big, beefy and local and you probably know someone dragging a boat to places like Sequim and Anacortes to try their hand at landing the Big One. June is a great month for fishermen and sea-foodies, so do yourself a favor, come straight to your local Salty’s and grab a table in the sun, order a bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir and some fresh salmon immediately! Gaze out at our waterfront views and you’ll soon forget the longest winter ever. March 2011SEATTLE AND PORTLAND—Here in the Pacific Northwest we are fortunate to have a bounty of wonderful fish to choose from year round. In the winter months that bounty of fresh fish gets a little slimmer, but we still have plenty of options. I've been purchasing fresh steelhead for a couple of months and have really been pleased. Steelhead has a delicate, fatty flesh that is more pink than red. Tasted side by side with salmon this time of year, steelhead has less of a fishy flavor and a more velvety mouth feel to it. Steelhead is basically a rainbow trout with salmon tendencies. DNA testing puts steelhead genetically closer to Pacific salmon than to the brown trout or Atlantic salmon, but it has characteristics notable to each. Like salmon, steelhead return to their original hatching ground to spawn. Unlike Pacific salmon, but similar to Atlantic salmon, steelhead will breed many times each year making several spawning trips between fresh and salt water. Although steelhead is listed as a threatened species on the Columbia River, we purchase ours from a farm near Nespelem, Washington, within the Colville tribal territory. Here's what they say about it: "The farm utilizes low-density rearing and a pathogen-free environment with all natural feed from sustainable sources that is free of growth hormones, growth promoting antibiotics, pesticides and herbicides." It's a local operation verified by the Marine Stewardship Council for its eco-friendly standards and practices. Fresh steelhead makes for such a great meal, come in and try some, maybe with a glass of Oregon Pinot Noir? You're right, get a bottle! Read more at www.pacseafood.com then make your reservations at Salty's waterfront seafood restaurants today. |
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It’s August and it’s time to add another species of fresh salmon to our menus. Coho salmon, silver or Oncorhynchus kisutch, usually arrive in early fall but there is a run that acts differently and allows us to get a taste a few weeks early. Located in South Eastern Alaska, Snow Pass Coho are summer Coho that behave like Sockeye. They are reared at the hatchery for about a year while they build up enough energy to head out into the open ocean. They will stay out for fourteen months and then those that survive will return to the lakes and tributaries where they were hatched to spawn. This has been happening since 1998 when the first Snow Pass Coho returned to Neck Lake. Since then the Snow Pass fishery has been very successful at managing an early run of Alaskan Coho salmon. The project’s website—
In 1933, the Army Corps of Engineers and US Bureau of Reclamation began construction on the Grand Coulee Dam. By 1938 the dam was high enough to block all fish passage upstream. In 1939, the Rock Island Dam downstream of the Grand Coulee Dam further blocked fish passage. Without fish ladders, the June Hogs became extinct. Close to 600 miles of river above both dams were lost to migrating salmon. Things got so bad for Columbia River Chinooks that fishing was closed to anglers from 1973 to 2002. 
The month of June is all about eloquence. Our palate, having been spoiled with the succulence of Copper River, will again rejoice with the beginning of the Alaskan river runs. Far off places like the Nushagak, Kushkowin, Stikene and Taku will bring our minds and bellies to the wilds of the Great North. Prince William Sound and Bristol Bay will also play in our June salmon symphony. Kings will be heading to their crescendo this month, while sockeyes are just starting to hit their stride. Cohos haven’t quite started to bring it, but they will start making an appearance in July, so look out!