Savor Bristol Bay salmon
This article was originally published in July 2010
Wild salmon is healthy and delicious — and now, eating it will support an Alaskan fishery threatened by a proposed mine.
To raise awareness and celebrate wild Alaskan salmon, PCC will take part in Savor Bristol Bay, a week of events from July 4 through July 10. We’ll host a cooking class and have plenty of Bristol Bay salmon in our stores for you to enjoy at summer barbeques.
Bristol Bay, Alaska, is home to the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery with up to 60 million wild salmon returning to its pristine waters each summer.
The salmon support an economy that generates more than $400 million each year and also sustains dozens of Alaska Native communities that have been living a subsistence lifestyle for thousands of years.
The proposed mine is at the headwaters of Bristol Bay’s most productive salmon habitat.
The mine is predicted to produce 3 billion tons of waste over its lifetime. Even a small amount of this toxic waste spilled into Bristol Bay’s watershed would be a disaster, potentially ending 9000 years of wild salmon returns.
The good news is that by choosing Bristol Bay salmon, you’re showing that the fishery is an environmental asset worth protecting. You can find wild Alaskan salmon — from Bristol Bay and other fisheries, including the Yakutat — at PCC year-round.
For more information about how to Save Bristol Bay, visit savebristolbay.org. Enjoy the following Savor Bristol Bay events in Seattle, and visit whyWild.org for a list of restaurants that will be serving Bristol Bay salmon on menus all week.
Cooking class
Wednesday, July 7, 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Edmonds PCC, $45
Celebrated Seattle chef and cookbook author, Becky Selengut, teaches this special class about the Bristol Bay fishery and demonstrates techniques for turning Bristol Bay’s distinct sockeye salmon into healthy and simple meals. The cooking class will include samples and a chance to talk with Bristol Bay fishing families, Trout Unlimited staff, and local Slow Food chapter members. Seating limited to 24 students. Buy tickets online at BrownPaperTickets.com. Contact edubovsky@tu.org or call 907-586-2588 for more information.
“Red Gold” film screening
Tuesday, July 6 and Thursday, July 8
7:30 to 9 p.m.
Roy St. Coffee
700 Broadway Ave. E., Seattle
Come see this award-winning documentary about the community of fishers and residents whose lives and livelihoods depend on the Bristol Bay fishery. Free admission.