Wild Kenai Wisdom

World’s First Organically Brined Wild Alaska Smoked Salmon

graham — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 04:27:27 +0000

Dear Friends,

This year, Wild Kenai is proud to launch the new version of its signature Borealis Smoked Salmon. We now offer it as a 100% organically/biodynamically brined, wild Alaskan smoked salmon. That’s right, organic AND wild! As far as we can tell, we are the first in the world to offer such a product.

We’re serious about spreading the good news. So, if you read this and re-post it to your own blog, or somehow help us tell the world, contact us and we will send you a sample of the product for your to try yourself! That’s right – free smoked salmon!

We’ve spent a good amount of time over the past several months finding sources for our ingredients and getting them to Alaska, which has not been necessarily easy, given the ingredients we use. To give you a sense of it, we were able to find a local source for biondynamically grown onions (the only brine ingredients that could be sourced locally, aside from the salmon, of course!) from Vern Stockwell, of Stockwell Farms in the Matanuska Valley. We got our organic white wine from Frey Vineyards, with the help of Matt Frey, who has been incredibly generous throughout the process. Organic Alaska has also been a godsend, helping us to get all the great spices we use!

Just in time for the holidays, it’s an exciting time indeed! Give us a try for an unforgettable gift! No doubt someone in your family would appreciate the best – in quality and conscience – straight from Alaska, and our family to yours!

Also, check out the new store, just recently launched. It’s much easier to use!

Organic, Wild, Alaska Smoked Salmon

Letter from a Concerned Citizen – Re: Frankenfish and GMO Salmon

graham — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 03:55:40 +0000

Dear Friends,

We recently received the following letter from a concerned citizen:

“Greetings from Juneau!

I am a concerned citizen against genetically modified salmon (anything GMO for that matter) and in researching on the internet, I cannot believe that there is not a stronger movement in Alaska against modified salmon!! This is a huge threat to our state, families livelihoods and people’s lives!

I think petitioning the FDA is a lost cause, as the FDA promotes GMOs and that eventually they will ok this and it will be up to Alaska as a state to take action. In my opinion, there needs to be legislation addressing this critical issue now. In addition to being gm salmon being unhealthy and threatening boycott of all salmon by organic consumer groups, has anyone read about the patents that Monsanto has on their corn? And lawsuits that they have successfully won, when they found “their” (patented) corn growing in fields of farmers who did not purchase their seed? Really. They specifically targeted farmers who did not purchase their seed, went to “audit” and if they found any of “their” corn at all, they sued and put that farmer out of business. Well, corn grows where the seeds are dropped and those seeds were dropped through nature, through migrating birds. There is the same potential for this to happen in Alaska!!! “Plant” some GM salmon into our waters and the company who has “engineered” this gm salmon has the basis to come in and sue for fishing “their” salmon and put our local fisheries out of business!!! Though it may seem farfetched, the precedent is already out there.

What can I do as a concerned citizen? It seems you are the only Alaskan company out there with some info on this, and even your info is just the tip of the iceberg.

Please keep me informed with your news and if there is anything that I can do – aside from writing the FDA; they are not our friends!!!

Thank you,”

This letter reflects a number of our feelings about GMO salmon. We were surprised to hear that we are the only salmon business in Alaska speaking out on the issue. If you hold interest in digging in a little deeper on this project and seeing what we can do together, please send an email to graham[at]wildkenaisalmon[d0t]com.

In the meantime, I will be looking more into this issue and publish what I find here. Information is always a help!

Thanks everyone!

Graham and Wild Kenai

New Vendor Profile: Arganica

graham — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 03:56:14 +0000

Wild Kenai has a new vendor and friend in the DC area! Arganica is a farm club. This means they link subscribing members (low membership cost) to local and artisan food producers in the DC area whenever possible, and to quality-committed, sustainable and artisan food producers beyond their region for all the good stuff that can’t be produced locally, like Wild Alaskan Salmon. They have and promote a huge selection of wild foods. In fact, Dominique, the founder, boasted that Arganica offers the largest selection of wild mushrooms in the country!

After subscribing as an Arganica member, customers have access to their entire selection of goods (salmon now included), and are entitled to a once-a-week delivery of purchased products to their home. You can check out their website here, or read the blog post that talks about Wild Kenai, here. Either way, check them out!

Another vendor choosing the best in wild salmon. Another good day for the salmon, Alaska, and us.

Frankenfish win (for us)!

graham — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 23:34:01 +0000

Good news! We heard word yesterday that the FDA has decided to postpone the ruling on the GMO salmon from Aquabouty! Thank you to everyone who participated in the petition and spoke out against the genetically modified “Frankenfish!” Though continued work remains to ensure the FDA does not make a final ruling in support of Aquabounty, this decision to postpone is a good sign and still a win; many thought the FDA might simply rubber-stamp the fish as approved for human consumption.

We will keep you posted as we learn more.

Thanks again!

Act to stop GMO salmon!

graham — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 05:24:31 +0000

Dear Wild Kenai friends and readers,

Currently, a substantial threat looms upon the wild salmon world, the Alaskan economy and the fight against GMO food: genetically modified salmon – the first genetically modified animal proposed for human consumption. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has already stated that that GMO salmon are safe to eat, but based this decision solely on evidence submitted by AquaBounty, the same company that seeks to produce and profit from GMO salmon. No independent research was reviewed!

This weekend of the 18th, the FDA will have a public hearing on the matter. Please take the time today to participate in a petition asking the FDA to not give final approval to the production of GMO salmon or any other GMO animal for human consumption!

This is an incredibly important issue. The scientific community has sounded the alarm, saying that GMO salmon could render wild salmon extinct in only 40 generations if they escape into the wild (how could they not, across decades?); and the consequences to our health and the environment are not yet known.

Here is another article on the matter: http://www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-business-fda-gm-salmon-hearing-091010,0,5475255.story

Thanks for your time and consideration!

Graham and Wild Kenai

p.s. the blog posts will be back in full force starting this week, now that I have returned to Alaska! Stay tuned!

Fresh Salmon Available At Wholesale Prices!

graham — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 03:20:14 +0000

The season has begun and Wild Kenai is selling 2010 salmon! It is absolutely beautiful! You will not believe your luck in getting your hands on this product. It cooks up and melts in your mouth like butter.

We offer a start-of-season promotion, selling 25 lb lots of fresh or frozen Sockeye salmon for the wholesale price of $12.50/pound! Submit your orders for wholesale salmon here. We can ship it anywhere in the states, or get it to you locally in Anchorage, Homer, or anywhere in between.

Of course, you can also find all our other great products on the site as well.

Email graham@wildkenaisalmon.com with any questions you might have.

Be well,

Grahahm

A New Season!

graham — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:36:56 +0000

We are stoked to have new product on the market very soon! Keep an eye out in the next days and weeks for more information. If you would like to be on our mailing list to get the most up-to-date scoop, please send an email to graham[at]wildkenaisalmon.

Thanks!
The Wild Kenai Team

Chilling Bristol Bay Salmon Adds Value

graham — Sat, 22 May 2010 21:38:14 +0000

In February, the Anchorage Daily News published a nice article on icing Bristol Bay salmon. According to the author, Laine Welch, “The drift fleet delivered 60 million pounds of chilled salmon to processors last summer [in 2009], nearly double the 2008 delivery.” Chilling salmon while in storage and transit to processors produces a better end product, usually in the form of fresh and frozen salmon fillets.

Salmon kept cold in slush ice or refrigerated seawater garner a “10 cent ice bonus” as a rule of thumb, says Jonathan King, the lead author of the report funded by the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association. He noted that the ice bonus on last year’s catch conservatively added 2.7 – 3 million to permit holder’s end-of-year earnings.

Later in the article, Tom Sunderland, the marketing director for processor Ocean Beauty Seafoods, is quoted as saying “Icing on the grounds has a bigger impact on product quality than any other action we can take in Bristol Bay.”

Bristol Bay is changing, and changing fast. More and more people see the value of pushing for higher quality product. We at Wild Kenai are extremely excited to see and help pioneer this development. From the beginning, Wild Kenai has committed to the highest quality in salmon production. We will never swerve from this commitment, and look forward to seeing the industry continue to change in positive ways.

Salmon College

graham — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 11:48:59 +0000

In the April 1 issue of The Dutch Harbor Fisherman, we read a fantastic article written by Margaret Bauman about Copper River Seafood’s Salmon College.

The article begins: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to bleed and chill a fish properly and you can feed a village.” We commend Copper River Seafood for working to do just this. CRS has created a seafood industry handling school to train individuals in proper fish handling and processing. Their goal is to raise the standards for processing throughout Alaska – therefore raising the overall quality of Alaskan salmon and and price garnered for that salmon.

The article goes on to speak about CRS’ work to train villagers in Togiak. After the training and with CRS as their market, the villagers were suddenly able to sell their salmon catch at $1/lb, nearly twice the price point of some previous years. Such a change immediately changed the economic outlook of the village and its people. Buying Wild Alaska salmon means supporting families across the state.

Wild Kenai Red Salmon, like CRS, only works with small-scale, quality-oriented, family-owned fishing operations. That said, this coming year, WKRS looks to pay over $2/lb for its whole salmon for its premium catch. This is again double what CRS will pay, which further ensures positive local economic repercussions and premium quality. Working with WKRS means everyone ones – the fishermen, other growers and producers, WKRS workers, and the customers who get the highest quality money can buy at a reasonable price.

Intravenous Pressure Bleeding

graham — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 16:11:37 +0000

In the March 2010 issue of National Fisherman, we found an article about Bill Webber, Jr. of Cordova, who works as a fisherman, designer and manufacturer of equipment for producing top-quality salmon.

For some time, he has worked with a live-immersion bleeding process. Industry standard for bleeding invloves cutting the salmon’s gills and letting them bleed on deck (referred to as dry-bleeding), which removes approximately 25% of the salmon’s blood, according to Webber. Blood, in contact with air, coagulates; consequently, the fish dies slower. Using live-immersion bleeding, the salmon’s gills are cut, then Webber shuttles it into a seawater tank, where it continues to bleed, losing up to 75% of its blood, and then dies.

Recently, Webber has taken it up another notch, beginning to explore intravenous pressure-bleeding after researching it on salmon trollers in Southeast Alaska. In this process, he removes the salmon’s head and then plugs a pipette into the salmon’s dorsal artery. Pressured water then pumps through the salmon’s circulatory system, resulting in a 99% blood removal.

The process does have its drawbacks. If not monitored, extended pressure in the salmon’s system can cause it to swell. Webber notes that efficiency is also a problem, as the process takes about a minute for a medium sized fish. That can double the processing time for a fish. To address these issues, Webber installed four stations on his boat, two for himself, and two for his crew-member. They each simultaneously work two stations, processing two fish a once. Each station is also set up with a timer to help ensure the process doesn’t take go on too long.

Webber said he starts limited production on these systems to sell to other boats this year. In addition, he is exploring how the system can work for black cod and halibut!

You can find the article referenced here:

WKRS salutes Bill Webber and anyone who continues to explore new methods for improving the quality of the Alaskan salmon catch! We are excited to explore if intravenous pressure bleeding is a suitable process to employ with our own processors.