Wild Salmon News
Above Magazine
... farmed salmon (and consumers who choose it) undermine wild salmon. People are often unaware of what's wrong with farmed salmon, says Hartnell. "That includes artificial coloring, elevated contaminants, and devastating environmental consequences."
In 2001 Randy Hartnell and his wife founded Vital Choice, offering home delivery of premium Alaskan Wild Salmon. Above Magazine asked Randy to feature wild salmon and contribute an article about salmon reefnetting on Lummi Island. Read the full article written by Hartnell. *Above Magazine Winter 2010 (go to page 98). Reefnetting: The Zen of Fishing
Alexandra Morton has been compared to Joan Goodall and to Joan of Arc (by the New York Times), and has been a passionate champion of the wildlife she observes from her window on the sea. This is her story.
" .....Salmon feed the trees that make oxygen. The bigger the salmon run the bigger the growth rings a tree makes. The more trees grow, the more carbon scrubbed from our polluted atmosphere. .....Then came the disease epidemics. Toxic algae flourished on the biological waste spilling from the fish farms into the ocean."
Read the full article *Above Magazine Winter 2010 (go to page 90). Save Our Salmon
Sunset Magazine
... it's the most eco-friendly way to fish. All bycatch is released by hand and it yields far superior-tasting fish, devoid of the lactic acid released during commercial-fishing struggles. As a result, chefs such as John Sundstrom of Seattle's Lark now have reef-net-caught salmon shipped directly from the waters off Lummi's west coast. The only place in the world where the ancient art is now practiced
"Reef-net fishing is one of these ancient practices that's dwindling, and if we don't keep it alive, it'll disappear," Starks says. The technique involves a net spread between two stationary bargelike boats, like a high-wire circus act on water. "Give 'em hell," a watchtower man yells each time he spots a school of salmon, and suddenly a slithering mass of silver fins and tails flashes in midair before dropping into a holding well.
Read the whole article
Great Taste Experiece
Food Arts
What makes reef net fishing so incredibly eco-friendly is that, while other commercial fisheries report by catch, or waste rates of 40 to 60 percent, this method results in virtually none. As the fish are brought onto the deck of the boat, each one is lifted out of the net by hand. Any fish trapped unintentionally are released immediately, unharmed.
Because of subtle differences in their habitats, each regional population of sockeye is slightly different from any other. The sockeye harvested off the shores of Lummi Island must swim as far as 1,000 miles from the open ocean to their spawning grounds in the vast inland watershed of the Fraser River in British Columbia. So, like the famous Copper River king salmon of Alaska, this particular population is equipped with an unusually large amount of energy in the form of stored fat, rendering it particularly delectable to its predators, among which I happily count myself.
Read the whole article
A Matter of Instincts
Seattle Magazine
..a guiding light for the way the troubled, mostly unsustainable world of commercial fishing should be headed. And with the green movement becoming less a movement and more a way of life, demand for reef-net-caught salmon is beginning to grow.
As a small school of medium-sized sockeyes approach, Starks adopts an executive stature and begins barking commands at his crew. "Here comes some...yeah, let's take those...they're not here yet," he warns. And then, prefaced by a Geronimo-like "Let's go!" from Starks, the wild rumpus starts.
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Passion Fish
Sustainably Practices Award
Amid growing concerns about the health of our oceans and returning wild salmon populations, a small group of environmentally conscious fishermen are now finishing their season with the first solar powered fishing vessel in the world. Not to be confused with salmon farming, these fishermen are out there working the waters of north Puget Sound with the Lummi Island Wild Co-op reefnet fleet. The solar upgrade as well as other innovations that lower by-catch to near zero levels, placed the Co-op front and center at the State Capital Tuesday to receive the Washington State Governor's Award for Sustainability.
"We are showing that with a little extra effort, fishing doesn't have to be a burden on the environment," said Co-op member Ian Kirouac. "Lummi Island Wild now operates three of the most selective and sustainable vessels on the planet - one of which is fully solar powered." The Co-op hopes to build on its successful solar season by converting its entire reefnet fleet to solar power within the next year.
Read the whole press release
Sustainable Practices Award
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