Saving Chinook

Photo from Flickr user PNNL - Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Creative Commons License

Life has been pretty crazy recently--my housemates and I just moved across town into a new home, and an interview on Friday is looming. That said, I feel like I have to share this article on Chinook salmon from Edible Seattle. If you don't know the Edible Communities magazines, go take a look and I'm guessing you'll fall in love. Edible Seattle is the only magazine to which I've actually paid and subscribed, and I've kept every issue handy to read and reread many times. As a marine biologist who works mostly with salmon, this article seemed pretty close to home.

Alaskan Chinook salmon are rich and delicious, but their numbers are unfortunately low. Although fishing for them is illegal in years with bad runs, a huge number are caught and wasted each year as bycatch from the much larger pollock industry. This fish is in everything: it's pretty much every cheap white fish you'll ever get at a fast food or grab-and-go restaurant, and it's used as imitation crab in countless sushi rolls. Alaskan pollock is certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council, but the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch Guide recently downgraded pollock from a green "best choice" to a yellow "good alternative."

As always when buying meat and fish, the bottom line is to stay informed. This article is one step in the right direction.