fish report

Alaska Wild Sockeye Salmon season has now begun and the fish are running strong. Their deep red flesh is the most flavorful of the salmon species. From an opening near the Kenai River in Cook Inlet, these beautiful, live-bled and ocean-bright fish are shipping head off and gutted with a delivered price of $7.90. Also landing there are King Salmon and the price is down to $10.90 for H&G fish.

The Washington Post ran an interesting article this week featuring Sea to Table’s work with NOAA on the invasive Lionfish problem.

Worldwide awareness of the plight of wild fish increases. European fish stocks are in an unprecedentedly poor state yet fish consumption remains high. A new report highlights Europe’s increasing reliance on fish originating from external waters and, following America’s leadership, provides pointers towards a more sustainable future for dwindling global fish stocks.

Our fishermen are out catching very beautiful fish for us this week.

On Friday the owner and a manager of Profish, a prominent Washington, DC seafood distributor were convicted of multiple felony violations of the Lacy Act by trading in illegally caught Striped Bass. The Lacey Act is a federal law prohibiting individuals or corporations from transporting, selling or buying fish and wildlife harvested illegally. If we have any hope of bringing our fisheries back to where they need to be, we all must follow the rules and do the right thing.

Beginning this week, Striped Bass, whose North Atlantic populations are now strongly rebounding, are being legally and sustainably harvested by our rod and reel fishermen from Montauk, NY. The Cape Cod Striped Bass fishery is scheduled to open next week, and we hope to soon be shipping from there as well.

From Alaska’s Cook Inlet we are landing both King and Sockeye Salmon. They can ship combined with Halibut, Rockfish, Sablefish and Pacific Cod.

July 1st was the opening of Vermillion Snapper season in the Carolinas, and we should have a steady supply for the next month. These delicious fish are the only US Snappers ‘green-lighted’ sustainable by the Blue Ocean Institute. Jack Cox and the Tucker boys are landing these as well as many other beautiful fish.

The Dimins wish everyone a wonderful Fourth of July.

The NY Times Magazine ran an excellent article on the plight of the Bluefin Tuna. In spite of the efforts of many, that magnificent creature has been unable to rebound. In contrast, a story that is not getting enough press is the resurgence of the Atlantic Swordfish that not long ago was threatened. Last week the Marine Stewardship Council certified the Canadian long-line and harpoon fishery as sustainable, and the US Atlantic Wild Swordfish fishery is not far behind.

From Gosman’s dock in Montauk NY we are currently shipping a wide array of beautiful seafood, including day-boat Fluke, Monkfish. and Scallops. On Father’s Day the Dimin clan assembled at Grandpa Dimin’s house in Point Lookout, NY where we feasted on Gosman’s Scallops. They were so incredibly sweet and flavorful that we never cooked them, just ate them like apples.

Beautiful King Salmon continues from Alaska, as well as Halibut, Rockfish, Sablefish, and Ebi.

From Beaufort, NC, continue to land Pink Snapper and Gag Grouper as well as beautiful Mahi, Wahoo, Amberjack, Triggerfish and Tuna.

From the Louisiana Gulf we are still shipping U12 IQF Gulf White Shrimp, although the price is up to $11.40/lb. Louisiana fisheries continue to struggle with the crisis. No end is in sight for their troubles.

FishChoice, whose mission is to connect commercial seafood buyers with the most environmentally preferred and sustainable seafood suppliers, has recognized Sea to Table with this month’s Producer Spotlight .

Word from chefs all around the country is that the King Salmon landing in Sitka is spectacular. The current delivered price of $10.90 per pound is also the best we have seen in some time.

Very positive response to the day-boat fish from Gosman’s Dock in Montauk. The Scallops and sashmi-grade Fluke are delighting diners everywhere.

Jack Cox’s boats in Beaufort, NC are landing Pink Snapper and Gag Grouper as well as beautiful Mahi, Wahoo, Amberjack, Triggerfish and Tuna.

Support small-scale sustainable wild fisheries by buying their fish.

Michael traveled this weekend to the Smthsonian Institute’s Savoring Sustainable Seafood event in Washington, DC. Among the 30 Top Chefs was our chef/partner Barton Seaver serving ‘Lionfish Ceviche with Almonds and Endive’.

Lionfish are an invasive species with spectacular plumage and voracious appetites. First noticed in the early 1990′s they now dominating coral reefs from the Carolinas to the Southern Caribbean. Lionfish appear to only have one weakness; they are delicious to eat. For the past year Sea to Table has been working with NOAA developing an innovative program called Eat Lionfish. NOAA scientists are working hard on methods of catching these elusive fish. Creating new markets for fishing villages and clearing the reefs of this predator is a solution we want to be part of.

The epic nature of the Gulf Spill grows daily. The damage to the environment as well as the fishing communities will be generations long. We agree with our friends Carl Safina and Kate McLaughlin of the Blue Ocean Institute when they say “it’s not the Gulf oil spill, it’s the U.S. oil spill, it’s our oil spill.”

Thankfully we are blessed with beautiful seafood to ship from other fisheries.

The verdict around here is unanimous: this is our favorite time of the year. From Deep Inlet, Aleutkina Bay, near Sitka, AK, the Alaska Wild Summer Salmon season now begins in earnest. This week we will begin shipping whole King Salmon in 30 pound boxes for $10.90/lb. By the end of June Sockeye season will begin, with Coho not far behind continuing through September. We will be following Salmon as they head towards the rivers of their birth from Southeast Alaska all the way to the Yukon. It promises to be a beautiful summer.

In New England, NOAA has instituted the ‘Catch Share’ fishery management program that has been the backbone of the great Alaska fisheries revival. Early indications are positive, and we are pleased that our friends at Ecotrust have organized a National Panel Series to consider impacts of ‘Catch Shares’ on fishing communities. This is a great step towards the long term future of the fishery. We think it is essential to consider the effect on the fishing community as well as the fish.

Sashimi-grade Fluke, Scallops, Monkfish and Porgies from Montauk day boats.

Pink Snapper, Triggerfish, Gag Grouper, Mahi, Amberjack, Wahoo and Yellowfin Tuna from North Carolina.

Halibut, Rockfish, Black Cod, Pacific Cod, and Side-Stripe Shrimp from Alaska.

Walleye from the Red Lake Nation.

Crawfish and IQF Gulf White Shrimp from Louisiana.

Wild sustainable seafood, lovingly handled, arriving at your restaurant next day direct from the dock. And with the new Local Next Day Ground option at a 10% discount if you are within 300 miles of the fishery.

With all the bad news in the world it is refreshing to hear some good, with the strict methods of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council finally paying some handsome dividends.

These past few years, Jack Cox and our other fishermen partners have been struggling to keep the heads above water as their Snapper and Grouper fisheries have been virtually closed. These fish have long been the lifeblood of Carolina fishing communities, and we have been doing our best to develop markets for some lesser known abundant species, such as Amberjack and Triggerfish, inhabiting those waters.

Over the last year a large amount of data has indicated a dramatic population increase for many species of both Snapper and Grouper. Along with our good friend Megan Westmeyer of the South Carolina Aquarium Sustainable Seafood Initiative, we have been working to recognize that although some still require further rebuilding, some species are now very healthy. This past week our partners at the Blue Ocean Institute finally revised their ranking on Vermillion Snappers to a Green. This means that when the season opens next month, our fishermen from Beaufort, NC can offer sustainably managed, sustainably harvested Vermillion Snapper for the first time in recent memory. In the next few months we expect a series of species from this region to have their rankings raised to Green. This is the outcome all have been hoping for; supporting and protecting our invaluable fishing grounds, fishing communities and fishermen.

On Saturday, Michael and I took a trip to Montauk, NY, visiting with our new friends Brian and Asa Gosman at legendary Gosman’s Dock. The tip of Long Island is a beautiful corner of the world, and has been a vibrant fishing village since before our country was founded. Beautiful line-caught Fluke, day-boat Scallops, Monkfish and Porgies will be shipping this week. Due to the recovery of Striped Bass and Swordfish populations in the North Atlantic, we will soon be offering these and other species, where fish landing at Montauk can arrive anywhere next day, and with the new Local Next Day Ground option at a 10% discount from Boston to Washington, DC.

Pink Snapper, Triggerfish, Gag Grouper, Mahi, Amberjack, Wahoo and Yellowfin Tuna from North Carolina Halibut, Rockfish, Black Cod, Pacific Cod, King Salmon and Side-Stripe Shrimp from Alaska. Crawfish and IQF Gulf White Shrimp from Louisiana. Walleye from the Red Lake Nation.

Happy Memorial Day.