She may be in place to win first place of the 16th annual Spring King Salmon Derby, but Jackie Dailey doesn’t want to get ahead of herself.
“I’ve kind of taken to thinking that I’m not going to worry about it,” the 65-year-old retiree said. “If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”
Dailey has held onto her first place standing in the competition for 10 days now. She caught a 38 pound, 4 oz. King Salmon ago last Monday. The derby lasts all month, so she still has 11 days to go if she wants to take home the nearly $4,000 cash prize.
Dailey was born and raised in Wrangell. She moved to Juneau in 1969 and has lived here ever since. She grew up fishing with her father, Mark Dailey, a commercial gillnetter.
Fishing was a way of life for her and her people, she said. Dailey, whose Tlingit name is Tleek, belongs to the Kaach.adi, the Raven Clan of Wrangell. She has ancestors that came through Alaska in the 1880s exploring for gold, and her great-grandmother came from Tall Grass, British Columbia, to Alaska to marry.
Daily says she always had a freezer full of seafood at home growing up, and “our family subsisted on moose, deer, salmon and crab.”
Part of that tradition was sharing food with elders, and family members who were unable to fish, she said.
Years ago, Dailey took up sport fishing with her husband, Ken Cesar, who was a commercial troller.
It’s become a favorite pastime ever since, she said.
“It’s just enjoying being on the water, the excitement of catching a salmon, the scenery, the quietness, being away from people,” Daily said.
But, still, that’s the not the reason Dailey participates in the Spring King Salmon Derby each year. It’s because the Derby benefits Native students seeking higher education, she said.
The Derby is sponsored by the Central Council of the Tlingit Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska’s Alumni Scholarship Assistance Program.
Fifty-five students benefited from the money raised last year, which was about $28,000, said the Derby coordinator Leslie Isturis.
Dailey’s 26-year-old daughter, Kendri Marietta Marie Cesar, now 26, received scholarship money to attend Harvard Law School because of the Derby, Dailey said.
“I do it simply because my daughter benefitted (from the program),” Dailey said. “To me, it’s payback time. I really believe in education and it truly benefits our young people. Not only those in Juneau, but other communities too.”
About 800 to 900 people in Juneau pay $35 to participate in the derby each year to generate the scholarship money, Isturis said.
Dailey has pounded pavement and made phone calls to find sponsors for the derby, earning her the nickname “money hustler,” Isturis said with a smile.
Dailey says she hopes more residents and visitors fish in the derby or donate to help the cause.
“It’s a very worthwhile cause,” she said.
Whether more participants will hurt her first-place standing remains to be seen. She will also not be able to fish for the next week as she will be flying to Boston — her daughter is graduating from Harvard Law on Thursday.
“We’re very proud of what she’s done for herself,” a beaming Dailey said.
As for the Derby, when asked if she thought she would win, Dailey responded, “We’ll see.”
• Contact reporter Emily Russo Miller at 523-2263 or at emily.miller@juneauempire.com.
Here are some more Alaska Seafood sites for you to check out. Thanks for visiting AlaskaFreshSeafood.com
It’s that time of year — The month of May means Farmers Markets are back on the scene in Alaska’s largest city, ramping up for a new season.
This week, and every Saturday until late October, the Spenard Farmers Market is open, located in the parking lot of Chilkoot Charlie’s. It features farmers, crafts, food vendors, music and crafts for the kids, and is always a great time. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Be there!
South Anchorage Market started two weeks ago with beautiful plant starters, hand crafted breads and more. Check out the weekly newsletter on their website, and keep an ear to the ground — the best strawberries around are going to be showing up soon. Well, OK, maybe not until June, but they’re seriously worth the wait. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays at the Subway/Cellular One Sports Centre at Old Seward and O’Malley. Stay tuned for the Wednesday market in July.
The Anchorage Farmers Market on 15th and Cordova, in the Central Lutheran Church, is in its third week. The Persistent Farmer is selling Dahlia starts and Matanuska Creamery goods. Thanks to Fee’s Custom Seafoods, there are also fresh Prince William Sound spot prawns available as well. We cooked up three-quarters of a pound of spots last weekend, saving the last bit for Mother’s Day. Dee-lish, and nothing compares to the sweet, briny perfection that is a spot prawn.
A couple of farmers that never went away, Duane Clark and Alex Davis, celebrated their 104th consecutive week of holding the market on May 9 — that’s two years straight, ladies and gentlemen. No small feat in a heavily seasonal market like Alaska.
The Center Market is now open two days a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays, outside in the parking lot facing Benson, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
I spoke with Alex Davis, of AD Farms, about his market.
“The center market attracts customers that are interested in knowing their farmer…getting to know who is raising their food,” he said.
Alex grew up in Michigan and got his first taste of his future profession while working on a Christmas tree farm. Moving to Alaska, he married into a farming family and helped out with growing and selling over the years. In 2003, he bought into the family business.
As an organic farmer, his produce cycle typically starts to pick up a little later, which means he continues to sell after the main market season had ended. This led Alex to special orders with pick-up points, and eventually, demand grew. Over the years, he has added fresh berries — or jams and jellies in the winter — and he is now selling 50 head of naturally-raised pork along with various poultry and 83 dozen eggs a week. When Duane came on the scene, they added naturally raised beef, whole chickens and he procures seafood as well.
A rotating cast of other vendors have been added, including Northern Light Mushrooms, offering cultivated shiitake and oyster mushrooms from Southcentral Alaska; Matanuska Creamery, with fresh ice cream, butters and cheeses; Capriccio Specialties, featuring dried quality spices, fruits and fresh wild-picked produce seasonally; Rempel Farms, and others.
Plans for the future include celebrating a one-year anniversary at their current location, with no plans of relocating any time soon.
“We are really happy at this location, the mall management is very supportive and our customers love it,” Alex said.
Alex is playing with the idea of hydroponic lettuces for the fall, winter and spring to offset the lack of fresh greens in Alaska outside of the summer months.
They are also looking for other like-minded purveyors to enhance the market with niche items, like Bison or Reindeer, adding value to the market for customers without adding competition to the current vendors.
Word on the street is they are talking to Alaska Sprouts, a local provider of tofu, mung sprouts and seriously delicious onion sprouts –seriously, delicious oniony flavor with a spike of heat at the finish. Not your average alfalfa sprout!
Long story short, there are a multitude of great markets around town to check out for great produce, great food and entertainment. We will see you at your local market!
Rob Kinneen is an Alaska chef who emphasizes sustainable, local food choices. Trained in New York, he has served as a chef at several prestigious Alaska restaurants including Orso, Seven Glaciers and the Crow’s Nest. Together with his wife, Carolyn, they started Fresh49, which produces webisodes exploring local and traditional Alaska Native food options.
Here are some more Alaska Seafood sites for you to check out. Thanks for visiting AlaskaFreshSeafood.com
It’s that time of year — The month of May means Farmers Markets are back on the scene in Alaska’s largest city, ramping up for a new season.
This week, and every Saturday until late October, the Spenard Farmers Market is open, located in the parking lot of Chilkoot Charlie’s. It features farmers, crafts, food vendors, music and crafts for the kids, and is always a great time. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Be there!
South Anchorage Market started two weeks ago with beautiful plant starters, hand crafted breads and more. Check out the weekly newsletter on their website, and keep an ear to the ground — the best strawberries around are going to be showing up soon. Well, OK, maybe not until June, but they’re seriously worth the wait. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays at the Subway/Cellular One Sports Centre at Old Seward and O’Malley. Stay tuned for the Wednesday market in July.
The Anchorage Farmers Market on 15th and Cordova, in the Central Lutheran Church, is in its third week. The Persistent Farmer is selling Dahlia starts and Matanuska Creamery goods. Thanks to Fee’s Custom Seafoods, there are also fresh Prince William Sound spot prawns available as well. We cooked up three-quarters of a pound of spots last weekend, saving the last bit for Mother’s Day. Dee-lish, and nothing compares to the sweet, briny perfection that is a spot prawn.
A couple of farmers that never went away, Duane Clark and Alex Davis, celebrated their 104th consecutive week of holding the market on May 9 — that’s two years straight, ladies and gentlemen. No small feat in a heavily seasonal market like Alaska.
The Center Market is now open two days a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays, outside in the parking lot facing Benson, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
I spoke with Alex Davis, of AD Farms, about his market.
“The center market attracts customers that are interested in knowing their farmer…getting to know who is raising their food,” he said.
Alex grew up in Michigan and got his first taste of his future profession while working on a Christmas tree farm. Moving to Alaska, he married into a farming family and helped out with growing and selling over the years. In 2003, he bought into the family business.
As an organic farmer, his produce cycle typically starts to pick up a little later, which means he continues to sell after the main market season had ended. This led Alex to special orders with pick-up points, and eventually, demand grew. Over the years, he has added fresh berries — or jams and jellies in the winter — and he is now selling 50 head of naturally-raised pork along with various poultry and 83 dozen eggs a week. When Duane came on the scene, they added naturally raised beef, whole chickens and he procures seafood as well.
A rotating cast of other vendors have been added, including Northern Light Mushrooms, offering cultivated shiitake and oyster mushrooms from Southcentral Alaska; Matanuska Creamery, with fresh ice cream, butters and cheeses; Capriccio Specialties, featuring dried quality spices, fruits and fresh wild-picked produce seasonally; Rempel Farms, and others.
Plans for the future include celebrating a one-year anniversary at their current location, with no plans of relocating any time soon.
“We are really happy at this location, the mall management is very supportive and our customers love it,” Alex said.
Alex is playing with the idea of hydroponic lettuces for the fall, winter and spring to offset the lack of fresh greens in Alaska outside of the summer months.
They are also looking for other like-minded purveyors to enhance the market with niche items, like Bison or Reindeer, adding value to the market for customers without adding competition to the current vendors.
Word on the street is they are talking to Alaska Sprouts, a local provider of tofu, mung sprouts and seriously delicious onion sprouts –seriously, delicious oniony flavor with a spike of heat at the finish. Not your average alfalfa sprout!
Long story short, there are a multitude of great markets around town to check out for great produce, great food and entertainment. We will see you at your local market!
Rob Kinneen is an Alaska chef who emphasizes sustainable, local food choices. Trained in New York, he has served as a chef at several prestigious Alaska restaurants including Orso, Seven Glaciers and the Crow’s Nest. Together with his wife, Carolyn, they started Fresh49, which produces webisodes exploring local and traditional Alaska Native food options.
Here are some more Alaska Seafood sites for you to check out. Thanks for visiting AlaskaFreshSeafood.com
The Seattle-based airline makes a big production each year of delivering the first-of-the-season Copper River king salmon from Alaska to Seattle for preparation by top chefs, who got their celebrated bounty earlier Friday.
Hours later, an Anchorage-based seafood processor delivered a 30-pound king and a seven-pound sockeye salmon with much fanfare at The Bridge Seafood Restaurant, which was set for its grand opening later in the day.
“The Copper River’s first king of the year,” proclaimed delivery van driver Billy Green, vice president of productions for Copper River Seafoods, as he presented a large box before restaurant owners Patrick Hoogerhyde and Al Levinson, who are both chefs. Out came the prized catch from the shaved ice as cameras clicked all around in front of the downtown area restaurant, which sits on an old bridge over an urban salmon stream.
Hoogerhyde held the king up.
“Gorgeous,” he said. “Gorgeous, my friend.”
The flashy delivery was a re-enactment of sorts of the famous king toss at Pike’s Market in Seattle.
Hoogerhyde was quick to admit feeling a bit of rivalry with Seattle for first fish.
“The thing is, it’s our fish, OK?” he said as he waited for the salmon to arrive. “I’m Alaskan. That’s the way it is. And for Seattle to get the first one, yeah, that’s a little pinch now and then.”
After bringing the salmon inside the restaurant, Hoogerhyde said the fish would be cut up into nice steaks and fillets.
Hoogerhyde then asked if anyone knew if the fish had first reached Seattle. Someone said yes.
“Oh, those (bleeps)!” he said.
Even as chefs compete for first fish, wild salmon lovers everywhere will be heartened to know the Copper River fishing season opened late Thursday near Cordova.
Here are some more Alaska Seafood sites for you to check out. Thanks for visiting AlaskaFreshSeafood.com
Chef Christopher Vane, of Crush Wine Bistro in Anchorage, was crowned as winner of the Great Alaska Seafood Cook Off, by Lt. Gov. Meade Treadwell. Vane and five other competitors in the May 14 event had one hour to prepare and “plate” six servings of their chosen recipes for a panel of six judges. Vane’s white troll king salmon pinwheels won him the right to represent Alaska at a national seafood cook off in New Orleans later this year.
Bob Tkacz/For the Journal
The board of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute approved a $21.3 million budget on May 15 for the fiscal year starting July 1.
It also indicated plans to release, by May 18, a definitive statement reconfirming the decision of producers accounting for most of the state’s annual salmon harvest that they have no intentions to continue as clients of the Marine Stewardship Council eco-label after the current certification expires this October.
The statement is intended to squelch rumors — circulating mainly in Germany and other European markets — that the April announcement that the Seattle-based Purse Seine Vessel Owners Association would take over as the MSC’s client for its sustainability certification of the Alaska salmon fishery would renew processors’ use of the label.
“I don’t think that’s going to be the case,” said Ray Riutta, ASMI executive director, after the board meeting.
Eight processors, handling upwards of 75 percent of the annual Alaska salmon harvest, have declared their support for ASMI’s responsible fisheries management, or RFM, certification program, grounded in the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization’s code of conduct for responsible fisheries.
Five of those companies, Trident, Icicle, Ocean Beauty and Peter Pan Seafoods and Kwik’Pak Fisheries, occupy the five processor seats on the ASMI board.
The remaining three outfits, Alaska General Seafoods, E E Foods and North Pacific Seafoods, plus many of the 34 other licensed Alaskan processors, are being marshaled to endorse the ASMI certification.
Pending the statement by the larger group the ASMI board issued a “place-holder” statement on May 14 declaring that the RFM certification “is needed for competition in the marketplace to avoid a monopolistic lock by a single entity on what is and what is not a sustainably managed fishery. “
The monopoly reference was to the MSC because some German buyers have said they will only buy wild salmon products bearing its eco-label and because of its tactics.
“Trade and (non-government organizations) are concerned of being attached by MSC,” said Mike Carroll, the US business manager for Global Trust, in a slide presentation at the ASMI board meeting.
Based in Ireland, Global Trust manages ASMI’s RFM program and is one of several auditing companies available to MSC clients.
ASMI board member Brian Wallace, a seine boat skipper from Juneau and member of the PSVOA, was headed to the group’s May 17 board meeting to, “get them to drop their role in the (MSC) clientship.”
“What I intend to do at PSVOA is make sure that the board has all of the germane and pertinent information that I have about the rationale and reasonings for the RFM and why the State of Alaska is onside with a large majority of the salmon industry because of these facts,” he said.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game was the MSC’s client for its first certification of the state’s salmon fishery in 2000. It decided in 2008 to drop that role largely because of what was seen as attempts to interfere with its salmon management and, with the Parnell Administration, has become a vocal supporter of the ASMI initiative.
Gov. Sean Parnell and ADFG Commissioner Cora Campbell have visited European buyers and delivered speeches at the International Boston Seafood Show and European Seafood Exposition, in March and April respectively, in support of the RFM certification.
“I’m very, very proud of our state and the governor and the commissioner for their commitment to this industry,” said Joe Bundrant, ASMI board chairman and head of Trident Seafoods on May 15. “We just said we need your help and they have jumped in, both feet, and given 110 percent support making sure this message is communicated clearly and to make sure Alaska maintains control of its fishery management.”
Riutta spent two weeks meeting European buyers before the expo there and the ASMI budget includes plans for a new three-year, $3 million promotional campaign that will include an indirect defense of the RFM certification.
“It’s not a sustainability promotion, but as sustainability is going to be front and center it’s part of it,” Riutta said. “But we’re focusing on two specific markets. One of them is consumers in the U.S. and then the other is in Europe, primarily focused in the U.K. and Germany.”
The promotion will include all Alaskan seafood products with two-thirds of spending in the U.S. market, with digital and print media.
“Digital would be the anchor and that’s based upon the target audience,” said Steve Schiedermeyer, head of Schiedermeyer Associates, ASMI’s contract advertising firm.
ASMI’s total budget for fiscal year 2013 is $21.5 million, up from $19.8 million in the current year thanks to strong seafood prices.
Total funding includes $10.56 million from producers of Alaskan seafood products, $7.8 million in state general funds, $4.5 million from the federal Market Access Program for international promotions, and $2 million from materials sales and other sources.
Legislative appropriation of the monies included directions to hold $3.4 million in reserve.
The domestic budget includes $2 million each for food service and retail promotions and $1 million for consumer advertising and public relations. International marketing, including industry matching funds and the federal dollars gets a total $7.7 million, down from $8 million in the current fiscal year because of cut in federal funding.
Among the 21 countries where ASMI operates Japan tops the budget with $1.5 million, or 19.5 percent of the total. European spending totals $3.2 million, 43.3 percent, split among northern, southern, western and central regional efforts. Marketing in China will get $925,000, 12 percent with $500,000 for Brazil, where ASMI opened its first South American office last year.
While not formally announced, news that Riutta is resigning after 10 years as ASMI’s executive director was also disclosed at the meeting. A retired U.S. Coast Guard admiral, Riutta will remain at his post through the end of this year.
Advertising for a new director will begin immediately with himself, Bundrant and vice chairman Kevin Adams serving as a search committee, Riutta said. The full board will interview and chose from the finalists with the hope that a formal announcement of his replacement can be made at ASMI’s consumer advisory panel meeting in Kodiak in August.
This article appears in the May Issue 3 2012 issue of Alaska Journal of Commerce
Journey to the Reef at the Akron Zoo features this giant Pacific octopus, which shares a tank with starfish.
WEST AKRON — The jellyfish exhibit at the Akron Zoo was so popular that officials there decided to keep the aquatic theme going with its newest attraction.
Journey to the Reef opens to the public May 26 in the Komodo Kingdom exhibit space. The exhibit keeps a few jellyfish species that were a hit before, but also brings in new creatures from under the sea, such as an octopus, Moray eels, sea horses, venomous lionfish and live coral.
“We saw this as a great opportunity to educate people,” said David Barnhardt, the zoo’s director of marketing and guest services. “It gives us the opportunity to tell the story of the reef, why it’s important and why we should care. It’s the most delicate ecosystem we have on earth.”
The jellyfish exhibit debuted in 2008 and helped set attendance records that year. Barnhardt said the popularity of that exhibit led the zoo to decide to do something in a similar vein.
Anemonefish like these clownfish are part of the Akron Zoo’s new exhibit, along with anemones. Photos courtesy of Akron Zoo
Also, many of the zoo’s employees, like Pete Mohan, director of animal operations, had been employed at Sea World of Ohio and had a lot of expertise with sea life, Barnhardt said.
Mohan said the exhibit will examine reef life from the Caribbean, Indo-Pacific and Northwest Pacific coasts.
“We wanted to talk about conservation issues relative to reef health,” Mohan said. “Our reefs are threatened. There are real threats, especially to ones in the Caribbean.”
He said there are some types of coral in the Florida Keys region that are virtually extinct.
To help educate visitors, each tank will be accompanied by a digital screen that will include information on what is displayed.
Mohan and Barnhardt agreed they expect one of the most popular animals featured in the exhibit to be the Giant Pacific Octopus. The specimen comes from the waters from Northern California to Alaska, Mohan said.
The octopus shares a tank with some purple starfish, and the tank was designed so that even when the octopus attempts to hide, she will still be visible to visitors, Mohan said.
Four varieties of Moray eels will make their home in one of the 17 aquariums. Another aquarium features an array of unusual varieties of anemones from the cold waters around Vancouver, such as the powderpuff anemone, white spotted anemone and the strawberry anemone, along with a blood starfish and bat starfish.
Fans of Nemo will likely delight in another tank, which features anemonefish like the clownfish with anemones.
Mahan also thinks viewers will enjoy a tank that houses coral that emits a bright green light. The tank will be illuminated with blue lights and have a yellow filter so the green will glow, he said.
From the entrance and throughout the exhibit, the reef theme is carried out with a mural designed by Cuyahoga Falls artist Amy Mothersbaugh-Roos. Zoo officials said she spent more than a thousand hours working on the elaborate sea scene with the help of a crew of volunteers.
The exhibit concludes with a touch tank that will allow visitors to get close to small stingrays and horseshoe crabs. In addition, three interactive stations will help children learn about three levels of the ocean: the kelp forest, coral city and harbor, according to Autumn Russell, the zoo’s director of education.
Russell also said the zoo is pleased to have one of just a few displays loaned by the Monterey Bay Aquarium on sustainable seafood. The “Seafood Watch” interactive kiosk will help visitors learn about what are the best fish to eat to avoid destructive overfishing.
The Akron Zoo is located at 500 Edgewood Ave. It’s open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $8.50 for seniors citizens, $7 for children ages 2-14 and free for those younger than 2. Parking is $2.
For more information, call 330-375-2550 or go to www.akronzoo.org.
Here are some more Alaska Seafood sites for you to check out. Thanks for visiting AlaskaFreshSeafood.com
As you may have recently read, it became official. You’re now second on the list of countries which import Alaska’s goods. At the end of 2011, there was some reasoned belief from state officials that after all the numbers were in, they would find that China supplanted you at the top of the list. And sure enough, it did. Last year, the total value of Alaska goods exported to China was $1.44 billion, up a dramatic 56 percent over the year before, and exports to you were down 10 percent, settling at $1.08 billion total.
We The Concerned are concerned, as is our habit, that you might be feeling a little down about Alaska lately. We just wanted to let you know you’re still a very valuable trade partner, and that the decline may actually end up being auspicious.
State officials say China became Alaska’s No. 1 export market in 2011 mainly on the strength of increased fisheries trade, plus some changes in petroleum shipping. Overall since 2009, they say, Alaska exports to China have tripled.
Fisheries exports to China increased 52 percent between the first 10 months of 2010 and 2011. And by the end of 2011, China displaced you as the top importer of Alaska seafood products. China soaked up $836 million of Alaska’s top export product, and you only purchased $589 million. It might sting to hear, but that’s the first time in a very long time you haven’t been the No. 1 export market for Alaska’s fish.
Another reason you’re not No. 1 anymore is that Alaska’s exports of liquefied natural gas took a bit of a hit. A long-term LNG contract between Japanese utilities and ConocoPhillips, which operates an export terminal at Nikiski in Cook Inlet, ended in early 2011 and wasn’t renewed. The plant was idled in November, but it still made some spot deliveries to Japan, and shipped LNG to other Asian countries, including at least two known tanker loads to China last year. The Nikiski LNG closure was a big reason the state’s export of LNG dropped 42 percent in 2011.
Which brings us to why we think your dropping to No. 2 might not be such a bad thing. Contrary to popular opinion, Alaska can be a little cautious, coy even, especially when it comes to selling natural gas. Despite controlling access to trillions of feet, the state has only had one long-term export contract for LNG export in its history, the one for the Nikiski plant. Even though there’s not much LNG going out of the state right now, we The Concerned think a trend is developing: Alaska prefers to have its fish products pave the way for a new export market, then LNG.
That’s how it worked for you way back when — first fish, then gas. Maybe it feels more comfortable leading with our strongest, most revered export product, which by far is fish. But whatever the reason, that’s how things have worked out so far in an extremely limited sample.
It’s almost like flooding a country with fish, roe and shellfish is Alaska’s way of testing the water, laying the groundwork for more capital-intensive things like petroleum products and concentrated ores. There’s nothing to be worried or self-conscious about with fish. For that matter, there’s very little true competition. But one molecule of methane is basically the same as any other, and committing to major infrastructure and forecasting market fluctuations at least a decade out takes a great deal of confidence.
Until recently, the state and its main producers seemed to have little confidence in Alaska LNG. Now, all of a sudden, within the last several months actually, the state, AGIA licensee, producers (and probably the stars) say they’re aligned toward Alaska LNG shipments to Asia. And for you, the possibility of Alaska gas shipments probably couldn’t come at a better time. You’ve shut down basically all of your nuclear reactors and are in the process of switching to natural gas for your electricity needs. Several people from the highest levels of your government were in Washington, D.C., recently, and we know they heard about how advantageous Alaska’s LNG would be for you, especially in geographical comparison to any sort of LNG terminal planned for the U.S. East Coast.
We The Concerned don’t know how the state feels about it, but we see the recent dramatic increase in seafood shipments to China as just the beginning of a long-term plan to eventually ship LNG there. China can have whatever’s left over after Alaska ‘s LNG exports gradually take the place of its seafood exports to Japan. Assuming of course, you have needs left unmet by North American, Asian, Siberian, Australian, Scandinavian, or Russian LNG projects currently under development.
Have faith, even though you fell to No. 2 on Alaska’s export list, the tide may be turning. And you’re still No. 1 in our hearts.
Love,
The Concerned
Write the Concerned
Here are some more Alaska Seafood sites for you to check out. Thanks for visiting AlaskaFreshSeafood.com
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Here are some more Alaska Seafood sites for you to check out. Thanks for visiting AlaskaFreshSeafood.com
More good news comes from the Spenard Farmers Market, which will open Saturday, giving Anchorage shoppers five weekend market options.
The early-season Spenard market will include plenty of plant starts for those ready to dig in the dirt. Among the vendors are: Wild Rose Alaska, with a variety of Alaskan honey and herbal products; Farm Dreams, with a huge variety of plants including vegetable and herb starts, along with ornamental varieties of annual and perennial flowers; Sexton Farms, with herb and veggie starts, along with jams and jellies.
Also at the market is Sharon Ferguson at the Backyard Harvest booth. She specializes in consultation for home gardens. She plans to dish out advice on companion planting, beneficial insects, composting, the benefits of mulch and other gardening information.
“The Spenard Farmers Market is a family friendly event and community atmosphere but still offers high quality organic produce and local products,” said market volunteer Stephanie Cuvelenda.
The market is hosting a “Dash for Trash” event at 9 a.m. Saturday and an “After Trash” party from 2 to 4 p.m. to help clean up the community. The Spenard Market is open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Spenard Road in the Chilkoot Charlie’s parking lot.
At the Anchorage Farmers Market expect fresh seafood from Prince William Sound. Rebecca Langton of Fee’s Custom Seafood reported Tuesday morning that “we are out fishing as we speak. We’ll have fresh spot prawns and coonstripe shrimp for Saturday.”
One of the market mainstays, Arctic Organics, will be at the market with early- season greens from the greenhouse, including basil and arugula. Other highlights include vegetable and flower seedlings perfect for Alaska growing conditions, including tomatoes.
The Persistent Farmer will be on hand with Matanuska Creamery Products, including birch ice cream, along with his dahlias, tomato plants and ferns.
Other vendors include Bushes Bunches, Seldovitch Farm, Floriponics, Arctic Sun Gardening perennials and Turkey Red Cafe baked goods.
The South Anchorage Farmers Market has a full slate of vendors and will be hosting a purple plant give-away, sponsored by Northrim Bank. The annual Purple Plant Contest is Aug. 18, and at Saturday’s market visitors can pick up a purple plant start to nurse throughout the summer.
Vendors scheduled to be at the market include:
Heart of the Mountain Organics will have vegetable and herb starter plants. Those folks recommend stopping in early for cilantro, basil or arugula plants. Other items include lettuce, tomatoes, kale, collards, chard, Brussels sprouts, perennial chives and black currant bushes.
Alaska Sprouts will have fresh tofu, mung bean sprouts, clover sprouts, sunflower shoots, pea shoots and other items.
Southfork will have heirloom tomato plants, along with cucumber and other veggie starts.
Other vendors include: The Blue Poppy, Earthworks Farm, Arctic Choice Seafood, Gray Owl Farm, Mat-Valley Meats, Berberich’s jellies and jams, Northern Lights Mushrooms and Glacier Valley Farm.
The Center Market will have two outdoor markets this week — Wednesday and Friday — at The Mall at Sears.
Duane Clark said in addition to regular vendors this week, the Shriners will also be on hand Wednesday with their annual Vidalia onion sale. “Stock up on those sweet onions from Georgia, they go great on grass-fed beef burger patties that are back in stock,” Clark says.
Clark will have his beef cuts, Alaska seafood and goat cheese. Alex Davis’ A.D. Farm will have fresh chicken and duck eggs along with some of last year’s storage crops, including purple and white carrots, along with beets and potatoes. He also will have locally raised pork, including chops, steaks, roasts, hocks, Italian sausage, spicy sausage and breakfast sausage patties.
Other vendors at the markets this week include Capriccio Specialties with spices, teas and baking essentials; Sleeping Lady Alaskan Foods with breads from the House of Bread; and Northern Lights Mushrooms.
Copper River salmon
Dannon Southall of 10th and M Seafoods has this report of an Alaska tradition: “The Copper River is set to open this Thursday at 7 a.m. As always, there is no pricing available until the nets slap the water on Thursday morning. With the first opener scheduled for 12 hours, fish should be in Anchorage sometime on Friday, more than likely in the afternoon.”
10th M Seafoods has cleaned and gutted 10- to 20-pound halibut available for $10.50 per pound or $18.95 per pound for fillets. Gulf of Alaska fresh cod ($5.95 per pound) and rockfish ($9.95 per pound) fillets are in the store this week too, along with live clams at $6.95 per pound and live oysters at $12.95 per pound.
Steve Edwards lives and writes in Anchorage. Contact him at sedwards@adn.com.
Local farmers markets
WEDNESDAY: Center Market, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., The Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street
SATURDAY: ANCHORAGE FARMERS MARKET, 9 A.M. TO 2 P.M. AT 15TH AND CORDOVA IN THE CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH PARKING LOT; ANCHORAGE MARKET AND FESTIVAL, 10 A.M. TO 6 P.M., THIRD AVENUE BETWEEN C AND E STREETS; CENTER MARKET, 10 A.M. TO 4 P.M., THE MALL AT SEARS, BENSON BOULEVARD AND DENALI STREET; SOUTH ANCHORAGE FARMERS MARKET, 9 A.M. TO 2 P.M., SUBWAY/CELLULAR ONE SPORTS CENTER AT THE CORNER OF OLD SEWARD HIGHWAY AND O’MALLEY ROAD; SPENARD FARMERS MARKET, 9 A.M. TO 2 P.M., SPENARD ROAD AND 26TH AVENUE
SUNDAY: ANCHORAGE MARKET AND FESTIVAL, 10 A.M. TO 6 P.M., THIRD AVENUE BETWEEN C AND E STREETS
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