Hey Seafood Watch, Why The Change?

Sure makes you cringe when you get text messages from a friend from the restaurant they're eating at in Portland.

Wild Steelhead on the menu.

Wild Steelhead from rivers that have lost a great deal of their run since 1980 and are worth 100 times more when they stay in the river

Wild Steelhead on the menu because Seafood Watch changed their designation for Olympic Peninsula Steelhead to a "good alternative"

Restaurant's and Chefs around the country depend on the industry watchdog to give recommendations on what stocks of fish to avoid, that are good to serve and which are from non sustainable sources

Seafood Watch has failed them in their designation change.  Flat out failed them.

And the seafood brokers who sell these fish and the restaurants and retailers like Whole Foods find it acceptable to aid and abide in putting these fish on the menu and on the shelves.

It's horse shit.

Watch the video for full details on why Wild Steelhead should never be a commercial food source.  Especially from rivers who have missed their minimum escapement goals year after year after year.

So back to Seafood Watch.   In the face of mountains of data that plead the case that these fish shouldnt be ok to serve and sell....they said it was ok.

The big question remains.  WHY?



If you agree that this designation change shouldnt be, join the Wild Steelhead Coalition in letting the good folks at Seafood Watch and the Monterey Bay Aquarium that this change should be rescinded.

The Fish Equivalent of Eating Panda Steaks

Yesterday a great article was written and posted on the Seattle Metro Magazine web site

View it HERE.

Wait, what...."great article" you say.

Yes, because this misinformed foodie writer went up and kicked the hell out of one big's hornets nest in the her article detailing wild steelhead harvest and consumption at some of Seattle's trendiest restaurants

The serving of wild steelhead from the Olympic Peninsula is to many, the equivalent of eating spotted owl breasts, or panda steaks.  Not good, not sustainable, not good at all

My hope is that this crazy piece of writing gets people fired up and united against this non-sustainable practice

Go to the article, read it and let your voice be heard.

CLCT Spotlight--Stop Eating Wild Steelhead Blog

If your a steelhead advocate, go take a peek at this blog.  They're doing tremendous work in outing and highlighting restaurants and distributors who continue to serve and sell wild steelhead.   The good news is that with this spotlight, some of the restaurants have chosen to take this unsustainable food resource off their menu. 

Often times, the establishments don't realize how perilous the situation is.  This site is serving to help educate and in turn, keep wild fish off the menu

Wild Steelhead....Stop Eating it!

Pikes Street Fish Market.  Ray's Boathouse.  It's off their menus, and now it's time for all of us to continue to stand up and help get Wild Steelhead off the menu and offerings of any establishment

There is one place in the lower 48 where Wild Steelhead are taken and sold to market, and that's from the rivers of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. The wild stock of these rivers while not listed on the Endangered Species Act, are severely depressed and taking of these fish is part of a an unsustainable

practice.  The tribes have a right to harvest the fish, but we can do our best to make it known how much impact it's having.

Add to the mix the confusion the difference between hatchery fish, farmed fish, unclipped hatchery fish and wild fish themselves....its no wonder why people dont know how to fight this issue.  It's hard to know where to start.

So right now, it's about information.  It's about education.  It's about raising some fundage to help the fight to protect these fish

Ladies and Gentlemen, I urge you to find your way to facebook and join the group by clicking here

Next, go here...http://www.allenflyfishing.com/products/wild-steelhead-stickers

and pick up a few stickers to show your support.  All profits will be to wild steelhead conservation efforts.

Allen Fly Fishing volunteered to fund this sticker effort to get it off the ground.  Kudos to then and their company.  They're not just a site sponsor for this blog, but they're good people.  Check them out.

Time to draw your own personal line in the sand....