Pacific

America's Favorite Seafood

Salmon, shrimp, and tuna are America’s three most consumed seafoods.

I used to like salmon. For years it was my go-to menu choice, not even realizing it was farmed. Then on my first trip to Seattle, I ordered wild king salmon. It was a revelation, tasting unlike anything I had eaten before. Now between genetic engineering, disease, and pollution, I just can’t eat farmed salmon. Reports of resurging wild salmon populations off California, and the threat up in Bristol Bay remind us that the need to support wild salmon fisheries has never been greater. Wild salmon season is coming soon, and the best way to support them is to eat them.

I can no longer eat shrimp without asking where they came from. Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture reports that ‘shrimp have been dying in masses’ from farms ‘seriously polluted with high pesticide residues’. With over 90% of America’s shrimp imported, this is not very good news. Thankfully some chefs are getting the message, like Farm 255’s Whitney Otawka who sources wild for her shrimp and grits.

I have eaten my share of tuna sandwiches, but these days can’t help thinking about how they are caught. With imports skyrocketing from the Eastern Pacific, the FDA has begun stopping yellowfin shipments for histamine concerns. These days yellowfin tuna are scarce with prices rising, and we are lucky to work with line-caught tuna boats in Destin, FL, Beaufort, NC, and Montauk, NY, allowing our chefs a steady supply.

Sea to Table is featured in the March issue of Food Arts magazine. Makes us proud.

Year of the Wild Fish

The New Year brings renewed hope for fishing communities around America.

Wild Florida Shrimp landing on both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts provide a healthier and better eating alternative to imported farmed shrimp. On the Florida panhandle, catch share quotas are assuring that American Red Snapper and Grouper are landing every week, as well as the underappreciated Grey Mullet.

Vermillion Snapper season opens today in the Carolinas, while plentiful Yellowfin Tuna swim in local waters. In the resurgent Chesapeake, Striped Bass are running strong, as are Channel Catfish and Perch. Further north in Montauk, NY, Fluke and Golden Tilefish land each week.

Winter in New England usually means snow, but does not deter the hearty fishermen. In Rhode Island, Fluke, Skate, and Squid are landing, while in New Bedford, Scallops and Monkfish are on the dock almost every day. Hardshell Maine Lobsters are now traceable to the harvesting vessel and trap, and next day from the water to your kitchen. Saithe, Hake, Haddock, and Rockfish land multiple times per week on the dock in Portland, and although there is concern about Atlantic Cod, Pacific Cod season opens today in Alaska with quotas increased by 14.5%.

To be able to enjoy these bounties and support traditional fishing communities is a blessing. May you and your family enjoy a healthy and prosperous 2012.

Fish Stories

The Center for American Progress reported on the top five fish stories of 2011: fisheries management success, pirate fishing, forage fish, fish farming, and sharks. It’s good to see fish in the news.

One story causing concern is a report that the most recent stock assessment of Gulf of Maine Cod was not as strong as it was two years ago. While fishermen are reporting good catches, scientists are worried. Even though the data have not been finalized, NOAA has taken the unusual step of convening a team to meet with fishermen and discuss options. A close cousin of cod, Gulf of Maine Saithe, has been abundant, with this years quota not being met, and next years being increased. It is a great eating fish at an excellent price. And from the Gulf of Alaska, our fishermen are landing Pacific Cod daily.

We are most pleased to now be working with fisherman Chris Lingerman from the Chesapeake Bay fishing community of Rock Hall, MD. Chris and his family are landing Striped Bass, Channel Catfish, and White Perch, and we are able to combine Blue Crab harvested down the road in Cambridge, MD in the same box.

Paul Greenberg wrote this week on the Whitefish’s Burden. And if you happen to be in NYC today, you might want to drop in at the Old Fulton Fish Market where Paul and Sea to Table will help celebrate Wintermarket with an offering of local seafood and wine. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Zabor Day Weekend

After being called out by a reporter for The Times-Picayune of New Orleans last month for selling lobster salad that contains no lobster, the NY Times reports that Zabar’s has renamed it “Zabster Zalad”. The main ingredient remains the same: freshwater crayfish. “It’s a combination of lobster and Zabar,” said Saul Zabar, the president and an owner of Zabar’s. “We could have called it Zobster salad, but our name is Zabar’s. And instead of the word ‘salad,’ we put a Z in there.”

Labor Day is the traditional end of the summer season. The great salmon runs in Alaska are slowing down as the Pacific Cod season begins. Peak fall season in the Atlantic fisheries is about to begin: Swordfish, Tuna, Fluke and Striped Bass from Montauk, NY; Haddock, Hake and Pollock from Portland, ME; Grouper, Snapper, Wahoo and Mahi from Beaufort, NC. And if you are within about 300 miles of a dock, we can get these fish next day from the boat to your place via FedEx Ground at a substantial savings. Local, direct, days faster, with the lowest carbon footprint and cost.

Catch share management is not only seeing real, measurable increases in fish populations but improving safety conditions for a dangerous job. Politicians are jockeying to be active in these issues but as Michael Conathan notes “the available number of fishing jobs is tied to the number of fish—not the manner in which those fish are regulated. If Congress wants to support the industry, it must fund more fisheries science that can provide managers access to better data about the true state of fish populations.”

American Red Snapper

One of the highlight’s of the Smithsonian’s Sustainable Seafood event was Rob Weland’s preparation of our Triggerfish from Beaufort, NC. Another was the overwhelming consensus of experts that one year after the calamitous oil spill, Gulf fisheries are safe and coming back strong.

We are now working with a group of catch-share fishermen from Destin, FL landing pristine American Red Snappers. Operating under the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Management Plan, each fish is individually tagged and can be traced directly back to the point of catch with an innovative tracking system. Red Snappers will land multiple times each week, year round, allowing chefs to again be able to menu this culinary treat.

We received this email from Captain John Bahrt of the F/V Kristina: “Hello from Sitka! Enclosed are pictures of our awesome ocean run grade of spot prawns. We have never seen such a large grade before. Also, there is a photo of one of our Pacific Octopus, and our unwanted friends, the sperm whales. They eat all of our blackcod. I feel that everything needs to eat, but this really does go beyond that philosophy....”. This week we will be shipping Spot Prawns, some of that awesome Octopus, and more of the Sablefish (blackcod) collars.

Although there is a clearly improving trend in the health of US wild fisheries, that is not a worldwide trend. The scale and toll of industrial fishing is not unlike that of industrial farming, damaging not only the fish but threatening people. The NY Times reported on this international dilemma that will take more co-operation to solve than we have seen to date. We all need to support local fishing communities to assure the continuation of rich traditional fishing cultures.

May Day

May 1st has been a traditional day of festivities throughout the centuries. It's a celebration of Spring, a day of political protests, a pagan festival, a saint's feast day, a day for organized labor, and in many countries a national holiday. It’s also the opening day for the Snapper/Grouper season in the Carolinas.

Jack Cox, David Tucker, and the boys in Beaufort, NC expect to land a wide variety of fish this week. Pink Snapper, Black Grouper, Amberjack and Triggerfish should all find the dock alongside Yellowfin Tuna and Southern Flounder.

From the historic whaling port of New Bedford, Massachusetts, from which Captain Ahab set sail on the Pequod in his quest for Moby Dick, we have begun to work with a group of Scallopers and Crabbers that land at the same dock. The F/V Hannah Boden is expected this week with a load of Jonah Crab that will be cooked and fresh picked. The F/V Fairwind and the F/V Evergreen will both land this week with incredible day-boat Sea Scallops that are schucked on board and rinsed only in sea water. They are so sweet that they are best eaten raw. The Scallops and Crab can pack together in a 25 pound combined box for next day delivery.

In Montauk the F/V Kahuna is landing beautiful Monkfish. They are also catching Skate (Raja erinacea or little skate), which according to the Blue Ocean Institute has a healthy population in the Northwestern Atlantic. Our fishermen do not target this species, but it is a by-catch to the gill-netted (not bottom trawled) Monkfish, making it a sustainable option. We are also landing Fluke and Porgies.

Through July we will be working with a mid-water trawler from Prince William Sound landing twice weekly at Seward with the famous Alaska Wild Side-Stripe Shrimp. These are the super sweet shrimp that the Japanese call Ebi and most of his catch will be headed for Asia. They can ship together with beautiful Halibut, Pacific Cod, and trolled King Salmon.

Happy May Day.

Snapper closes, Halibut opens

The South Atlantic quota for Vermillion Snapper has been filled and the fishery has been closed until July 1st. Meanwhile up north in Alaska, Halibut and Sablefish season opens this week, and we should begin seeing fish next week through November.

NOAA administrator Eric Schwabb testified before the US Senate Commerce Committee last week. “We have turned a corner in our management of fisheries in this country, and the sacrifices made and being made by so many who rely on this industry are showing great promise”, Schwaab said. ''We know that nearly billion in sales and as many as 500,000 jobs are lost because our fisheries are not performing as well as they would if all stocks were rebuilt. As we end overfishing and rebuild stocks, we will increase the economic output of our fisheries, improve the economic conditions for our fishermen, and create better, more stable and sustainable jobs and opportunities in our coastal communities”. Let it be.

NOAA’s effort toward establishing an aquaculture policy is a step in the right direction. Marion Nestle, professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, correctly identifies in Atlantic Monthly that that the problems are deep and we have a long road ahead to develop healthy, sustainable fish farming.

Audubon Magazine features an article Go Fish that explores challenges facing sustainable seafood. Our friends at the Aquarium of the Pacific are hosting the seventh annual Sustainable Seafood Day and Chowderfest. And well deserved recognition to Cindy and Ted Walter of Passionfish and Stephanie Izard of Girl and the Goat for the wonderful food they serve.

Springtime Looms

Temperatures rose into the 50's this weekend in Montauk on eastern tip of Long Island, landing boats with Fluke, Yellowfin Tuna, Golden Tilefish, Cod, and Monkfish on Gosman's Dock. Beautiful fish arriving direct from the dock next day to your restaurant makes for very happy diners.

NOAA’s catch share management system has transformed Alaska’s vast fisheries into the best managed in the world. Alaska Wild Halibut and Black Cod season opens in a week and runs until November. Pacific Cod continues strong. Alaska Department of Fish and Game forecasts a banner year for Salmon, and we can’t wait.

Catch share management systems are now moving into New England fisheries, and so are we: Scallops and Crab landing at the same dock in New Bedford, a range of finfish from Point Judith, RI, and an array of Gulf of Maine seafood landing in Portland ME. This spring we will begin working with some crusty New England fishermen and delivering their catch to some very talented chefs

As the water warms we will be seeing more Grouper and Snapper to compliment the other species we are landing in Beaufort, NC. Jack Cox and his fishing buddies are expecting a real good spring.

This week’s Wall Street Journal ran an article concerning sustainable seafood. Although they overlook the fundamental element of tracing where your fish came from and how it was caught, it is good to see the growing awareness.

Oscar Week for Foodies

This week the James Beard Organization announced the semifinalists for 2011 restaurant and chef of the year awards, and Food and Wine Magazine announced their best new chef nominations. We congratulate all the honorees, with a special shout out to our following friends:

Jonathon Sawyer, The Greenhouse Tavern, Cleveland - Bruce Sherman, North Pond, Chicago - Alex Young, Zingerman’s Roadhouse, Ann Arbor, MI - Tony Conte, The Oval Room, Washington, D.C. - Gerard Craft, Niche, St. Louis - Matt Steigerwald, Lincoln Café, Mt. Vernon, IA - Michael White, Marea, NYC - Galen Zamarra, Mas, NYC - James Petrakis, The Ravenous Pig, Winter Park, FL - Tony Mantuano, Spiaggia, Chicago - Billy Allin, Cakes & Ale, Decatur, GA - Edward Lee, 610 Magnolia, Louisville, KY - Andrea Reusing, Lantern, Chapel Hill, NC - Hector Santiago, Pura Vida, Atlanta - Brian Houston, The Publican, Chicago - Josh Galliano, Monarch, St. Louis - Stephanie Izard, Girl & the Goat, Chicago - Paul Kahan, Blackbird, Chicago - Robert Del Grande, RDG + Bar Annie, Houston - Michael Symon, Lola, Cleveland - Paul Virant, Vie, Western Springs, IL - Tory Miller, L’Etoile, Madison, WI - Kevin Nashan, Sidney Street Cafe, St. Louis

We are most pleased with their recognition, and proud that they serve our fishermen’s catch.

From Alaska we should continue to see a steady supply of Pacific Cod. From Montauk we are landing Golden Tilefish, Fluke, Monkfish, and Atlantic Cod. From the Carolinas Yellowfin Tuna, Southern Flounder, Triggerfish, and as the weather warms a growing mix of fish.

End of Overfishing in US Waters

For the first time in at least a century, U.S. fishermen won't take too much of any species from the sea, according to one of the nation's top fishery scientists. Steve Murawski said that for the first time in written fishing history, which goes back to 1900, "as far as we know, we've hit the right levels, which is a milestone”. Murawski, who retired this month as chief scientist at NOAA's Fisheries Service, said it's more than a dramatic benchmark - it also signals the coming of increasingly healthy stocks and better days for fishermen. "When you compare the United States with the European Union, with Asian countries, et cetera, we are the only fishing nation who actually has succeeded in ending overfishing".

Although “overfishing” is now ending, many of our nation’s fisheries remain “overfished”. Last year regulators said 37 stocks in US waters were being overfished; New England had the most with 10. But the new catch shares management systems are making a difference. Our friends at FishChoice have released a list of fisheries that have been recently revised in status. There is real hope that with vigilance over time many fish populations will rebound. This progress is encouraging for fishermen and chefs alike.

From Montauk, NY we are now working with Captain Brian Rabe of the F/V Sequel who is deepwater gill-netting Monkfish with minimal by-catch. Gosman’s dock continues to land a weekly Golden Tilefish boat as well as dayboat Fluke and Scallops. From Homer, Alaska Pacific Cod are now landing steadily. Snow and blowing winds off Beaufort, NC have been challenging, but Captain Mark Lewis of the F/V Helen W. Smith should be landing tonight with Triggerfish and Southern Flounder, while Yellowfin Tuna and Wahoo are expected later in the week.

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