The Pike Place Market is all about seafood. Where else in the world does fish fly? In May, Copper River wild salmon, Alaska's most famous salmon, will sail through the Market air-straight into Seattle's finest restaurants and some very lucky homes.
"The Copper River is a long river with a strong current, so genetically the fish are very strong," explained Jon Daniels, owner of City Fish since February 8, 1995 (his birthday). "The salmon has to fight to get home and, consequently it is a stronger and more firm fish."
The Copper River, nearly 300 miles in length, is one of the longest and wildest rivers in Alaska. It winds through the Wrangell and Chugach mountains and empties into Prince William Sound at the town of Cordova. The upstream swim is intense and the salmon that originate in the glacier-fed waters of the Copper River are unique.
"A strong fish makes for a good meal" noted Daniels.
Wild Alaskan salmon stop feeding when they exit their salty ocean environment and enter into a fresh-water river. The Copper River is a long and arduous river to swim against, and the salmon must store extra fat and oils to make the journey.
"The Copper River salmon have a nice firm flesh and they are really high in omega oils," said Daniels. The high oil content makes Copper River salmon one of the tastiest and healthiest fish available. Omega-3 oils are recommended by the American Heart Association and known to treat skin problems and, new studies suggest, even depression.
"Big schools of salmon ball up in the ocean and in the middle of May they start heading up the river," said Daniels. "They sniff the freshwater and it reminds them that they need to head home."
Daniels, an Alaskan native, knows fish.
"I was born into a fisherman family," he said with a proud smile. "Two days after I was born I was on the boat." Daniels, a fisherman for more than 25 years, has fished for herring, halibut and salmon. At 3 years old it was his job to scoop herring into the boat hatch if they got away. By age 11 he was an official crewmember. "I fished right up to the month that I bought City Fish."
Buying your fish from an experienced fisherman is the right way to buy fish.
"I can walk out there," he gestures to the Market pathway in front of City Fish, "and show my customers what they are looking for in quality. I can tell them where their fish was caught. The mussels are from Penn Cove on Whidbey Island. The salmon was caught in Alaska."
Some tell-tale signs of a healthy fish are nice, firm flesh and good, clear eyes, though just looking at the eyes can be a bit tricky because they will sometimes get hooked during the fishing process.
"You also want to look at the scales," said Daniels. "You want shiny, sparkly scales with dark blue and green hues."
Daniels pulls off a piece of fish wrapping paper and draws a diagram of where the fishermen place themselves to catch Copper River salmon.
"Fishermen can't go into the river," he explains. "They position themselves at the mouth where the river enters into the ocean. They intercept the fish before they start their upstream swim, when they are the strongest and healthiest."
The Copper River salmon run is the first major run of the year. Most salmon start heading home in June.
"When I was fishing, there was this saying about bigger tails making stronger fish," remembered Daniels. "The first fish to go up the river start out at 8 or 9 pounds and, after a month to 6 weeks, the salmon are 4 to 5 pounds."
The faster swimming fish are stronger and generally bigger. Yet, the wild salmon runs that occur on the Copper River can be unpredictable. If you have ever shopped for salmon then you know about the price fluctuations of this silvery fish.
"If the Alaska Department of Fish and Game doesn't see schools of fish going up the river, they will shut down the fisheries," explained Daniels. High demand for the famous fish coupled with a low supply, yields a $20 per pound price. On the other hand, if fishers can fish for a few days in a row, fish supply increases and market prices go down. "People care about the quality of the ocean here," noted Daniels. "I think everyone in the Northwest cares about the future runs of the fish and keeping our water clean."
City Fish, established in 1917, is the longest-running fish market in the Pike Place Market. They offer more than 50 different seafood items including Alaskan king crab, live shellfish, and more than 12 different types of fresh fish fillets. If you are talking about seafood, they pretty much have it all.
Copper River salmon is only available for three to four weeks out of the year. You can find it fresh at City Fish or visit the restaurants that they supply, including The Pink Door, Cutters, Matt's in the Market and the Market Grill.
"People around the world cannot get seafood like we do," concluded Daniels. "Customers tell me every day how lucky we are to have the seafood that we have. From Alaska to California, what we have in the Northwest is unique to the rest of the world, and we are right in the middle of it!"
Freelance writer Ritzy Ryciak grew up going with her father to his clinic in the Market.[[In-content Ad]]
