Wild Salmon ~ Hey People, This is Serious!

Remember the opening sequence of Romancing the Stone?

"But if there's one law of the West -- bastards have brothers, who seem to ride forever."

Why is it important to remember Romancing the Stone? Well, that about sums up the plight of environmentalists working to protect the Wild. And, who are those bastards? You've heard of them. Federal regulatory agencies, like the EPA, Interior, FDA, Congress (both houses) and don't forget the money guys ~ large agribusiness, large energy corporations, etc. Notice anything? The ones you might think would put your health, the health of the planet and its welfare first are firmly in the pocket of those who don't give a rip about you.

Those of us in the environmental movement have a gallows sense of humour about this but sometimes the truth is just too painful and the prick draws blood. Then, we realize it just isn't funny. This is a catastrophe. A damn tragedy.

To quote Michael Wells' Salmon Blog ~ If wild salmon and steelhead are to be saved in the Snake River Basin, then their story has to be told by far more people than people like me. They won't be saved if the media continues to refuse to scratch the surface of wild fish runs and opts instead to publish the blah so many outdoors sections have become. The wild fish are what matters and when you actually do some journalism in this area, the story will land on page 1 every time, unless you are working for a bonehead (which is entirely plausible in media).

And, the irony? That the epicenter of fake news ~ The Daily Show ~ is doing more to expose the environmental catastrophe of selenium pollution in Idaho rivers, its cause and resulting genetic mutation of wild salmon than all the "real" news organizations in the world.

Not funny.

Fifty years after its publication, we are right smack in the middle of our own "Silent Spring." Wild Salmon was so abundant in the Pacific Northwest that seven hundred miles from the ocean, Red Fish Lake in Idaho got its name from the hundreds of thousands of bright red wild salmon that came home to spawn. In 1992, Lonesome Larry was the only male returning to Red Fish Lake.

Not funny.

In British Columbia and the Puget Sound, wild salmon are endangered by the provincial government's cozy relationship with Norwegian fish farms. Alexandra Morton has been relentless in her advocacy of wild salmon. At the end of May, her email said, "There is an outbreak of a virus in Clayoquot Sound near the endangered salmon runs of the Megin River. A second farm tested positive on Friday near Sechelt Inlet. Government says it is IHN, government says it is not a problem for wild salmon, but the scientific literature says different."

Not funny.

Locally, Wild Salmon.Org in their latest newsletter warns ~ "Congressman Doc Hastings is continuing his attacks on wild salmon and the Northwest jobs that depend on them. In his latest volley, Hastings is calling for a “rewrite” of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to weaken protections and citizen overview of government actions to protect endangered species."

Not funny.

During my campaign for Congress, I had occasion to travel to Washington DC, New York and Boston. When I would talk about environmental issues, the standard glazed-eye response was "I thought salmon was an entree, not an issue."

Could be funny if it weren't so depressing.

And, as I've mentioned before ~ "The Great Wild Salmon have run the streams of the Pacific Northwest for millions of years. Their cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth has tied us to the sea. Their remarkable journey has nourished the forest, fed its wild life and for the last 12,000 years defined the cultural heritage of our region. The Great Wild Salmon have graphically shown us the fragility of our planet and given voice to the old saying, “we all live downstream” as everything finds its way to the ocean."

So, what can you do?

1. Never, ever eat farmed salmon. It's filthy and ruinous to the environment.
2. And, when you don't buy it, tell your market why. Unfortunately, it's always about money.
3. Contact your member of Congress. This is not likely to be successful (unless you are a major donor), but, it's good to keep in touch with these guys.
4. Support the environmental group(s) of your choice that are working on this issue, lobbying Congress, preparing White Papers to support the protection of this important fish. You will find a comprehensive list below.
5. And, yes, letters to the editors to your local paper.
6. Use social media. With enough attention, Wild Salmon can go viral (in a good way). Who knows . . . maybe they could bump off the Kardashians!

The important thing is BE ACTIVE. Passivity gets us Lonesome Larry. For us in the Pacific Northwest, wild salmon is not just an entree, it is the cornerstone of our cultural heritage. Everything about this place we love is the direct result of the birth, life, death and rebirth of this mysterious fish.

Want to help? 

Day 48 Everyday Grateful ~

Beautiful sunny morning.

Going out to mow the lawn.

I really must buy a goat

or date a man who owns one.

Mmmm ~ there's a thought!

Happy!

Michael Wells
http://salmonblog.weebly.com/salmon-blog.html

Alexndra Morton:
http://tinyurl.com/c39hpum

The Daily Show's Aasif Mandvi travels to Idaho to uncover a far-reaching corporate conspiracy involving two-headed fish, a giant agribusiness called Simplot, and the pollution of Idaho's rivers with Selenium.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-june-14-2012/a-simple-plot

http://wildsalmon.org

www.greatwildsalmonrun.org

http://thefairhero.blogspot.com/2012/03/wild-salmon-matter.html

Links of groups working to protect Wild Salmon:
http://www.greatwildsalmonrun.org/links.html

Water is a Human Right

"The human right to drinking water is fundamental to life and health. Sufficient and safe drinking water is a precondition for the realization of human rights."

— United Nations 'General Comment' on the Right to Water. November 27, 2002

"The simple fact is, this model of privatization doesn’t work. You cannot marry the profit motive to something like water or air which people need to survive. We have to take this notion of fresh water out of the market place and say that it belongs to the earth, it belongs to all species, it belongs to future generations, and no one has the right to commodify it for personal gain.

— Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians, March 2004

When I ran for Congress, I was endorsed by the Sierra Club. Running for office and learning the details behind the issues important to my district was a profound and deeply moving experience. It made me love Thomas Jefferson and the citizen legislative process even more. Of course, I became even more an environmental zealot. And, it solidified my belief in the importance of our environment in the well-being of society. So, I recycle, buy used / salvage first and do what I can in my Western life to be mindful of the effect I have on my surroundings.

Which brings me to bottled water.

It took me a while to tumble to the importance of companies encouraging distrust in municipal water supplies in this country. If people feel the tap water is not safe to drink, their anxiety makes them the perfect consumers. The large multinational corporations fan the flames of that fear and offer the solution. Safe. Pure. "Bottled" water. Water you can trust . . . for sale, of course.

Sheesh! It's always about money.

I willingly drink my tap water. It's delicious. I've been known to come in my front door, head directly to my kitchen, throw my keys on the counter, turn on the tap and drink directly from my hand. When I'd come home from college and do the same thing, my mother would say, "we do have glasses, you know."

Which brings me to artesian well water.

Many years ago, a friend of mine told me about an artesian spring in Seattle. It's part of a local water district. People would line up to fill their jugs and take them home. Well, apparently the local water district wasn't too happy to have people not paying for water so they capped the well.

And . . . the old adage proved true!

When you have a point to make with someone, the universe has a bigger point to make with you or as I like to call it . . . the cosmic banana peel. The capped well refused to stay capped. It continued to flood and make for a very unhappy water district. So, the water district capitulated. And, better than that, they built a nice little cover so people could come to the well in any weather, at any time of the day or night and take the water.

Oh, and yes, it's still free.

As I filled my three 5 gallon jugs this morning and brought them home to my cooler in the pantry, I was reminded again how rare clean water is and how difficult it is to find in many parts of the world. I am more in awe of the lengths people go to get clean water. Five gallons of water weighs about 42#. Imagine walking miles there and back to bring fresh water to your family.

Another reason not to commodify water.

Do I still drink out of the tap? Absolutely.

But, I love knowing there's a little well that continually flows; a little well where the water is clean, clear and . . . free.

Day 34 Everyday Grateful ~
Fresh water at the well, 

the morning with Linsi planning 

her reception and lunch. 

Ramses came along for the ride

 and got to spend some time

 in a fenced yard! 

A good time was had by all

Sunny, bright, still. Happy.

Food of the Gods ~ Breakfast!

OK, OK, it has taken me three days, but, I finally have a supply of my wild smoked salmon for breakfast again. I get kindah anxious when my stash gets low. (You will recall ~ I am a repeat eater.)

My colleague, Ramses, is happy as well. We have an agreement. He gets the salmon skin and the last bite of each half. A nice way to start the day ~ everyone happy.

Day 9 Everyday Grateful ~ a lovely warm sunny morning, my favourite breakfast with my favourite hound. Heaven!

Food of the Gods ~ Wild Salmon Part Deux

The wild salmon has marinated covered in my refrigerator for about 36 hours. In preparation to the next step, I covered my maple butcher block counter with cut-up kraft grocery bags.

Then, I put the grates from my smoker on the counter just before I took the large enameled roaster out of the refrigerator. It's a good idea to spray the grates with oil (I don't always remember which is one of the reasons I smoke my wild salmon with the skins on.)

Once I have the marinated pieces placed on the grates, I turn on the fan.

There are several keys to successful smoked fish. First is fish worth smoking ~ fresh, fresh, fresh and wild, wild, wild. Next is your marinade. I've posted a link below for a site I used at the beginning of my wild smoked salmon journey. The final next step before putting the fish in the smoker ~ form the pellicle. This glaze or film helps the smoke adhere to the fish.

Don't make the rookie mistake and smoke your fish without this step. There are several ways to form the pellicle. I usually put the salmon pieces on the racks and turn the fan on them for at least 2 hours. You can go longer. Don't worry, the salt protects the fish. Doing it in the house means fewer opportunities for flying insects. But, I must remain vigilant. Ramses can surf the counters without even raising his head.

You can also allow them to dry outside on a breezy day. When I do that, I cover the fish on the grates with cheese cloth from my giant cheese cloth roll I have that I have no idea when or why it arrived in my studio. Now, I use it when I smoke my fish.

While the pellicle is forming, I start soaking the wood chips.

Now, into the smoker. I have three racks. I've rigged two additional smaller racks to hang under the top two racks. I really had a lot of fish this time. I was a little worried about adding the extra racks so I called Byron. He assured me the smoke would get to all the fish and I could make use of the space between the factory installed grates. I'll let you know.

The key is to put the thinner pieces on the top rack. In about an hour, I'll start checking the fish on the remaining racks for doneness (is that a word?) It's OK to remove fish from the top rack if it is done and leave the lower racks which have thicker fish on them. Do keep checking them often. It's easy to overcook. They will still be delicious, just not as moist as you might want them.



Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

My client called to ask about some handmade tile. I asked her to come by for dinner since she was coming from so far. Let's mange, OK. With that decided, it's off to the store for fresh romaine and other salady things. Mmmm, maybe some risotto to go with the Smoked Salmon Caesar. Back on a flash!

OMG ~ almost done.

Oh, yeah! We have lift-off! Meet you in the kitchen.

The dinner party that started out with one, ended up with six! The picture is less than to be hoped for but the Smoked Salmon Caesar salad? Divine! You know it is good when people offer to help empty the smoker. Then, they crowd around as you bring out each layer and take a piece to munch on as they go back to the kitchen. Oh, that makes me feel so good!

Wild Salmon is a clean and elegant food. Smoked Wild Salmon really is the food of the Gods.

Here is another capital "T" truth ~

If you care about the future, protect wild salmon. Everything our children need, wild salmon need ~ clean air, clean water, abundant food and a healthy place to live.

For more information ~ www.greatwildsalmonrun.org

Hank Shaw has excellent step-by-step instructions. Between he and my friend, Byron, I  gained the confidence to try this amazing process. The truth is ~ it really is easy. Sure, it's time consuming, but . . . oh, the results! Heavenly

http://fishcooking.about.com/od/smokebrine/ss/smokingfish.htm

Day 8+ Everyday Grateful ~ friends over for dinner and eating freshly smoked wild salmon. Oh, dear ~ how wonderful is that!

Food of the Gods ~ Wild Smoked Salmon

For about fifteen years, I've been a vegetarian. Well, there is the whole "I do eat fish" thing, but, meat? Not so much. In fact, almost never. In the olden days, I really, really craved steak. Steers feared me. When I stopped eating beef, chicken, and pork, etc., I thought I would really miss it, but, I didn't. Quite the little surprise.

Several years ago, my friend, Barb the gourmand, called me to say she had read an article about the four or five types of eaters. Going over the list together, it was clear ~ I'm a repeat eater. I like knowing what my breakfast is, what it's going to taste like. It feels like a calm start to the day. Over time, I found I prefer savory to sweet and because I live in Seattle (I suppose) ~ fresh ground dark roast coffee prepared using a French press with whole milk. I like it best when the resulting colour matches, say, the "Moroccan Sand" paint chip I might have hanging around. Delicious and no surprises.

I started having smoked salmon with my fresh bagel, sliced tomato, capers and cream cheese many, many years ago. I used to buy Jensen's smoked salmon literally by the case at my local market. Their smoked wild salmon was delicious, well-priced and I liked supporting a local company. Then, they had a falling out with my market and I was left fending for myself.

While searching for a replacement, I found out there is some very bad smoked salmon on the market. Sheesh!

Now, here are the two capital "T" truths about smoked salmon: First, it must be wild caught. Farmed salmon is filthy and very, very bad for the environment. Second, no preservatives. The smoking process is the preservative. If the smoked salmon you buy has any of these two no-no's, don't buy it.

My own smoked wild salmon journey stated innocently enough.

Last spring, I was having a meeting with one of the members of my board at his home on Capitol Hill in Seattle. We sat at a small round table in his fully restored 100 year old kitchen and had fresh coffee and a small plate of smoked salmon. OMG ~ it was utterly delicious. When I asked him where he bought it, he said he smoked it himself. "It's not hard to do, you know."

Thus began my quest for perfect smoked salmon. Gawd, I'm such a little over-achiever! Researching ~ reading ~ talking with experts. After gathering all the information I could, I jumped in the deep end of all things wild salmon, but since, times are, in fact, tough, I started out with a used smoker on Craigslist. $40.



Four months later, a vacuum sealer from Craigslist. In the next few months, I'll get a small chest freezer for the garage. But, as I gather all my equipment, I keep smoking salmon. Batch after batch, I work on perfecting my marinade. Trial and error.

Last Christmas, I smoked eight wild salmon and gave smoked wild salmon for presents.

Today, I bought four wild Sockeye and brought them home. They averaged around 7# ~ bigger than I've been buying. So, I'm up to my eyes in marinating wild salmon. On Wednesday morning, I'll put them in the smoker. (It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.)

This year, I'm looking forward to buying directly from the tribes. My friend, Byron, buys 100# at a time, smokes it, seals it and has it for months from the freezer. He's going to take me to his special location to buy it directly. Can't wait. I'll keep you posted.

I'll post pictures of the salmon in the smoker so you can see how wonderful it is.

Day 6 Everyday Grateful ~ being confident, capable, resourceful ~ acquiring new skills, trying new things

If you care about the future, protect wild salmon. Everything our children need, wild salmon need ~ clean air, clean water, abundant food and a healthy place to live.

For more information ~ www.greatwildsalmonrun.org

Wild Salmon Matter

On Tuesday, I went to see a preview of a documentary of the restoration of an ecosystem ~ Return of the River. A film shot and directed by John Gussman and produced by Jessica Plumb, about the largest dam removal project in history.

The film chronicles the removal of the Elwha Dam in Washington state. After decades of effort and 20 years after Congress authorized its removal, the countless citizens and organizations who have worked to remove the Elwha Dam on the Olympic Peninsula saw their vision realized. Work began on the lower Elwha Dam in September with a blast of dynamite.

Why open the Elwha River? Why restore this ecosystem?

The Great Wild Salmon have run the streams of the Pacific Northwest for millions of years. Their cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth has tied us to the sea. Their remarkable journey has nourished the forest, fed its wild life and for the last 12,000 years defined the cultural heritage of our region. The Great Wild Salmon have graphically shown us the fragility of our planet and given voice to the old saying, “we all live downstream” as everything finds its way to the ocean.

Over the last 100 years, the Wild Salmon runs on the Elwha River have dwindled from over 400,000 fish to under 3000. In the Pacific Northwest, we know everything about this region we love is directly related to healthy Wild Salmon runs bringing micro-nutrients from the sea to the mountains. Over 400 species benefit from Wild Salmon's heroic migration.

On Tuesday, I heard about the fundraising efforts through Kickstarter.com for Return of the River. I was heartened to hear people from all over the world have donated to support this documentary. People know ~ Wild Salmon matter.

In the Puget Sound, we know Wild Salmon is a cultural cornerstone. The health of Wild Salmon is directly tied to clean water, healthy forests, habitat protection and species diversity. Wild Salmon are abundant when all of these are in place.

This is a time of great hope; a time of great opportunity. With the removal of the Elwha Dam and the restoration of a free flowing river, we are seeing the changing understanding of the importance of protecting clean food sources and wild rivers.

Governor John Kitzhaber of Oregon may have said it best ~

"What is at stake here goes far beyond the issue of salmon recovery. To me, it raises the question of whether we have the courage and the will to reconcile the growing contradiction between the world we say we want to leave our children and the one we are actually creating through the decisions we make today.

And, it calls into question our capacity to take explicit and intentional action to shape our own future rather than to simply react to circumstances, allowing by default our future to become a matter of chance. It's time to fight for Wild Salmon. It's time to fight for us. It's time to fight for our future."

For more information about the Elwha Dam removal ~

Elwha Dam removal illustrates growing movement - The WA Post

Elwha Dam Removal - Elwha River Restoration

For more information about groups working on wild salmon issues in the Pacific Northwest ~
www.greatwildsalmonrun.org click on links

To donate to the documentary ~
 www.kickstarter.com enter Return of the River in the search box.