Naknek fishing family promotes Bristol Bay sockeye in Oregon
The environmental groupTrout Unlimited has helped broker a relationship between Naknek Family Fisheries in Bristol Bay and a Portland grocery chain. The Naknek concern will handle a portion of the highest-grade sockeye carefully and ship it quickly on ice to Oregon.
It’s part of a campaign to urge consumers to “Vote with Their Fork.” The grocery chain, New Seasons Markets, will be featuring fresh, wild Bristol Bay sockeye salmon in its eight Portland locations in part to bring attention to conservation issues in southwest Alaska.
On July 13, New Seasons staff offered fresh sockeye samples. Izetta Chambers, of Naknek Family Fishing, also was on hand to promote Bristol Bay salmon.
“Bristol Bay is easily among the very top wild salmon fisheries in the world, but consumers in the Lower 48 rarely hear about it unless they’re traveling up here to fish it themselves,” TU Alaska Director Tim Bristol said. “We hope consumers in Lower 48 markets will gain an appreciation for the treasure we have in Bristol Bay and help us protect it from the threats it’s currently facing.”
In May, a loose coalition of conservation groups, chefs, fishermen and salmon retailers traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby Congress on behalf of wild salmon conservation.
The moniker “Vote withYour Fork,” coined by Portland Chef Greg Higgins in a Trout Unlimited wild salmon recipe book, stuck. For more information, visit www.whywild.org, www.newseasonsmarket.com, and www.naknekfish.com.