May 18, 2016

COMMENTARY: FISHING AROUND Darren Saletta owns Monomoy Sportfishing out of Chatham and fishes commercially, too. Now he’s got a line on some Alaskan salmon that he wants to tell you about. “You’re supporting small boat commercial fishermen,” says Saletta. “It’s basically a community supported fishery model for other sustainable fisheries within our borders.” Prices are a little over $200 for 20 pounds of salmon. You can go to prideofbristolbay.com for more information or to reserve your order. This is wild-caught Alaskan sockeye salmon, praised for its sustainable harvest by everyone from Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch (“best choice” category) to Whole Foods fish sustainability chart (“healthy choice”), among others. I spoke with Matt Luck, who grew up in Boston. By commercial salmon and crab fishing out west, Luck put himself through the University of New Hampshire. Luck is part of the Pride of Bristol Bay fleet, a fishing co-operative of some 98 family owned, independent operators with a dedicated shoreside processing location. With around 1,500 commercial boats plying Bristol Bay and environs, the Pride of Bristol Bay fleet set themselves apart with rigorous quality standards. The fish are bled at sea and slipped immediately into a cold salt water slurry that induces rigor and keeps the fillets firm. Then they get bagged and flash frozen, ready to ship. Luck said his family eats sockeye all the time. “I like the clean, fresh flavor,” says Luck. “Beautiful colors, firm texture. I’ll grill it, make salmon salad out of it, smoke some, even serve it as sashimi or seared ahi.” READ MORE