Wild salmon

This is a portion of an email I received from Farm 2 Market, an order service that goes straight to the fisherman. Really fresh fish; the only negative is that it uses FedEx instead of Brown.

"This year's wild salmon season may turn out to be the seafood analog to the sub-prime credit crisis: Way fewer fish. Way higher prices. Coastal Pacific regulators have officially closed this year's season for both commercial and sport fishermen, so the only Wild salmon will be coming from Alaska.

Why? The number of young salmon, sometimes called smoults, is so low that if fishing is allowed to continue, the remaining fish will be insufficient to sustain future populations. As water is diverted for development and agricultural uses, these hatchlings are finding it difficult to survive.

Further, a large part of the cost of catching fish is fuel, and we all know where those prices have headed since last year's salmon season. . . Salmon lovers should consider Steelhead as a wild salmon alternative."

I posted this as a "heads up" for forum members. Robin, feel free to remove it, if this is not an appropriate post.

[Robin Garr]

if this is not an appropriate post.

Totally appropriate, Gayle. Thanks for helping us all stay informed!

There was also a large article in the Science section of the NYTimes regarding the staggeringly small catch this year.

Wow, that is terrible news. Thank you for posting, Gayle. Environmental changes and mans' hand seem to be affecting so many things, and the economy is beyond belief. I can't believe how quickly things are spinning downward. I don't ever remember seeing things turn this quickly, and I'm 'middle-aged', depending on how you quantify that.

On a happier note - a friend of mine from work today offered me some smoked salmon. I knew that she and her fiance had smoked a lot of different kinds of meats this past weekend, and I assumed the salmon was one of the things they had smoked. It was among the best smoked salmon I had ever tasted. I asked her about it, and it turned out that her future father-in-law had caught it in Alaska, and cold smoked it himself!!!! I WAS IN HEAVEN!!!!! I say that he cold smoked it, because I assumed that, and she wasn't sure. It was covered in a smoke ring, but tender and moist throughout the rest, and oh, so tastey. Could still definitely taste the freshness of the fish, with the smoke stong enough, but complimentary. Does that sound like cold smoked? Also, what kind of equipment do you need to cold smoke, anyone know? Anyway, it was sooo good, I had to share the experience with salmon lovers!