The Salmon are Coming!
Salmon trolling © David Hills
Yes, there’s a silver lining out there. The commercial King salmon season starts this Friday, May 1st. Rainfall has been filling the rivers in the Central Valley where young salmon are born, and anchovies, a favorite food for salmon, are plentiful in the Monterey Bay. Predictions for this year’s King commercial salmon season are optimistic so we can expect even more than last year. King salmon are local favorites and super nutritious, so get ready to enjoy our natural summer bounty and support our local fishing community.
According to commercial fisherman Dave Toriumi, “We expect there will be a lot of salmon swimming through the Monterey Bay, but due to limited markets, we’ll be fishing two weeks on and two weeks off.” Fishermen like Dave have seen their markets close for local seafood, but the costs to maintain their boats have stayed the same. “Now’s a really important time to support your local fishermen,” he said. “There’s much less imported seafood coming in, and while California seafood might cost a bit more, it’s fresher, and there’s nothing more delicious.”
Along with local markets and community supported fisheries, you can find some local fishermen selling from their boats. Skylar Campbell docks in the Monterey Harbor and sells spot prawns, rockfish, rock crab, and King salmon. He used to work at a fish market on the wharf and people kept asking him when the fishing boats arrived and how they could buy local fish. He recognized there was a market for this, and is now filling it.
Skylar Campbell, F/V Sable © David Hills
“It’s really a community builder,” Skylar explained. “People bring their kids down to see the boats and ask questions. Then the kids know where seafood comes from - it’s not just a glass counter.” Customers get a better price, as do fishermen. You can find out when he’s selling by following him on Instagram at @montereyfishermansmarket or by signing up for the Monterey Harbor email blasts about off-the-boat sales by emailing nelson@monterey.org.
So start planning your social distancing salmon dinners! Kevin Butler is a commercial fisherman out of Santa Cruz. He’s also worked for years as an executive chef and knows his way around a salmon. Here’s a video of Kevin demonstrating how to perfectly sear a salmon fillet so you can enjoy crispy skin and serve with thyme butter.
The Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust has created a Local Catch Guide to make it easy to find local seafood. We’re also partnering with the fishing community on a summer campaign to build excitement around King salmon and other seasonal fish. Follow our campaign at #BuyMontereyBaySeafood where you can get to know our local fishing families, find out where you can buy fresh fish off the boat, learn about how to process and cook local seafood, and more!