Before we get into the meat of the thing, here's some stuff we've got happening in March/April:
And if you haven't yet, sign up for my sustainable CSF Seafood business! Seaforager Seafood
Tours & Events:
1. HMB Mega Mudflat Tour (April 19th. Only weekend tour this year! Still some spots available!)
2. SF Coastal Fishing/Foraging Tour (Mar 16th and Mar 29th!) Sea Forager Seafood Customers E-mail me for discount!
3. March Events : I'm presenting at CalAcademy and providing seafood and sea songs for a boat party!
Herring 2013-2014
Put a fork in it, it's done. One of the more disappointing herring seasons from a shore fisherman's perspective. Especially a San Francisco shore fisherman's perspective. The commercial fleet did better than last year thanks to the big spawns in the North Bay, but frankly I'm bummed.
Seriously what was wrong with these fish this year? They never came into SF, never moved inshore to the main drag in Sausalito, never hit Candlestick, Islais Creek or McCovey Cove. Weird. In fact after all my talk of herring tours I never really did one. Just took a few peeps out here and there. But no real tour. Imagine that!
Which serves as a reminder... when the fish are running, when it seems like they'll never stop, when you're right in the thick of it, (or the herring text wakes you up at 3:00AM), it's a good thing to remember that you're lucky to have found them at all--and that there's one unassailable truth: there are no guarantees that you'll find them again.
Not sure what the numbers were this year, but I think the boats came pretty close to the 3,700 ton quota. Will post the details next month or whenever they tabulate 'em. And now, it's time to put all the talk of herring away till next December. Until then...
Halibut
The first few halibut of 2014 were caught in the South Bay last week but man, it's hard to be optimistic after the last few years. One hopes that the stocks are going through a period of natural decline, and not that they got fished to the brink by slumming salmon anglers a few years ago (when the salmon season was closed down and there was nothing else to fish for). In any case I will go back to my favorite shore spot this year (Crissy Field Beach). With the hope that I can somehow induce a doormat hali to take my offering of a streamer fly... don't hold your breath on this, but if it happens rest assured, I will post it for fame and glory on Sea Forager.
For those who wonder about the mercury levels in halibut, they aren't actually as bad as everyone thought they might be. The OEHHA report recommends halibut once per week for women "in their child bearing years" and kids. Everyone else: 2 servings per week. I mean, that's way better than I actually thought it would be for a predatory fish that lives a good deal of its life inside the bay. Don't believe me? Go here:
One thing. Since live bait is the key with halibut, and the live bait receivers aren't open this time of year, you will necessarily want to seek out shiner perch. Here's a post I did on Shiners from last year:
Shiner Perch
The shiner is a dwarf species and as such offers very little for human consumption in it’s own right—although I know several septuagenarian anglers who rave about shiner soup. Unfortunately, shiners tend to retain toxins in alarmingly high amounts--just read the OEHHA report. Not sure why this is being that they only live a few years and do not occupy a high rung in the food chain, but studies have shown them
to be surprisingly high in all the bad stuff. Mercury, dioxin, poly-aeromatic-hydrocarbons, etc. So despite how good they may be in your grandmother's soup, I would highly suggest not eating them.
Really, the only reason I mention the shiner perch in this Sea Forager’s update is because shiners make an excellent live bait—for the exceptionally delicious California halibut. Often, in early halibut season, before the live bait fish receivers open in Northern California, an angler’s only option for a quality live halibut bait is the shiner perch. Shiners can be caught by means of bait rig or casting net (North of Point Conception only) to the tune of 20 per day—regardless of location, season or whether the angler has already reached his limit of other perches. Go to virtually any saltwater pier in the state of California and jig a Sabiki loaded with tiny chunks of shrimp near the pilings and you have a good chance of catching shiners—it should be noted that they favor the top of high tide. Oh yeah, only three hooks inside SF Bay.
I would be doing a great disservice to the noble suffering of this creature were I to fail to mention its endurance. There are few bait fish species that will stay alive and wriggling on a hook longer than a shiner—a dubious distinction for this courageous little fish, but one that no doubt has lead to its popularity as a halibut bait. Only the toughest of all fishes: the Pacific staghorn sculpin (aka: bullhead) can hold a candle to the shiner perch as far as durability is concerned (ok... midshipmen too).
The Human Element:
There is a small scale live bait fishery for shiners in SF Bay. Most of the shiners brought to the local bait shops are caught by means of traps. But there is at least one shiner fishermen who uses baitfish rigs and actually catches his shiners by hook and line! Way to go Pete!
Recreationally this species if very popular with the Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn types—or what local bay area fishing guru Keith Fraser famously calls: the shiner patrol. This is due to the fact that shiners, when they are around, are very easy to catch. Ludmilla Orensen a 10 year old shiner fisher-girl from San Francisco, interviewed on Pier 32, one sunny day in July 2010, informed the author that the reason she likes shiners so much is because they are “so cute and pretty.” This statement makes me want to cry every time I think about it. It seems there should be a better fate for a creature so cute and pretty (and yet tough and resilient) than to be skewered through the face by a live bait hook and dragged around the bottom of the ocean for hours at a time. But alas, that is what we fisher-folk tend to do with shiners. Doubtless, someday, if karma proves to be a valid concept, we will return in a future life, to experience what it’s like to be a noble creature poorly used.
King Fish
This just in. Wong fa on Pier 7!
"Wong Fa" in Chinese. "Chogie" in Korean. "Kingfish" in Amer-slang. Genyonemus lineatus... in bio-speak. Call it what you will, it's one of the most delicious fishes in the Pacific Ocean. There. I said it. It's a shame (Caucasian) people are so intimidated by a few worms (Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Samoan kingfish fishermen not so much). I used to be one of these dainty people but have since changed my tune. Wild animals have parasites. Get over it. It's just a little extra protein. Hell, pick 'em out and then throw those puppies in the skillet. Or better yet, steam 'em (the kingfish not the worms) with garlic and ginger. Yum. I'm serious. Thing is, the OEHHA tells us kingfish are high in toxins. I for one find this hard to believe. I know with shiner perch (see above) they sampled the whole fish in their study. Heads, gills, guts and all... but no one eats perch guts. No one. So why did they do this? Why did they sample the whole body instead of the fillet? Too lazy to fillet a few (hundred) small fish. That's my guess. (And having de-boned 150 pounds of sardines on Wednesday, I understand this implicitly)."
Of course it may be that kingfish are just high in toxins... (Lombard of the Interidal always accepts the possibility that he is dead wrong on any given issue).
The best fish picture I've ver taken. Or maybe just the most expressive fish I've ever photographed.
Anyway... kingfish used to be one of the most popularly caught (and eaten) species in SF Bay--along with jacksmelt and starry flounder. Then about 20 years ago, the flounder and the kingfish just upped and disappeared. Not sure why. I read somewhere that there was an over-the-counter weed killer or something that fucked up the fertility of kingfish and starry flounder in the bay, but I never again found that document, and have no idea if I hallucinated it, dreamed it, or made it up. In any event, I see a kingfish in SF Bay and I get excited. (Outside the bay, and in HMB they are still quite abundant).
Anyway, while I was doing my rounds today I saw about 20 between Pier 7 and Pier 14. And as silly as it may seem to anyone who used to catch them by the bucket load, I think it's worthy of noting.
I mean were it not for the sudden appearance of adulthood (my own) in my life. I would no doubt wake up tomorrow morning, take the Bart downtown, stop off at the crappy cigar store that used to be Sherlock's, purchase a 9 dollar cigar, walk out to the end of Pier 7, throw my three hooks baited with little pieces of squid (squid is the best of all wong fa baits, or course) out into the bay, break out my copy of Paul The Deacon's epic tome: History Of The Lombards (written in the year of our Lord 876AD), and fish all day while entertaining myself with sordid tales of my babarian ancestors (Gepid skulls for ale flagons anyone?)
Anyway, where was I? Right... there's some kingfish in our back yard. Don't be squeamish, go get a few.
Seaweeds:
Same morning I did my SF pier check, I went out and checked the coast for nori. Nori starts showing up on rocks in the intertidal zone in March and comes into full bloom by late spring-early summer. I always see the arrival of night smelt and nori as harbingers of spring. So I noticed a few small tufts of everyone's favorite seaweed growing on the rocks by Fort Point Pier. I'm not actually certain if it's legal to pick seaweed inside a State or National Park, so please don't do it until you read up on that a bit. But within a month there should be plenty of it growing in pickable areas further north and south...
As i sit here attempting to put together a reasonable overview of nori, I realize Kacie Loparto (She Sells Seaweed) did a stand up job on it last year:
Nori - Porphyra perforata
Hello seaforagers! Kirk asked me to write about the local nori, so here's a few tidbits...
Nori is part of the family of seaweeds that grow in the “red zone." These red seaweeds are smaller than the brown kelps and come in a range of colors from white corallines and pinks, to olive and lighter greens and browns, to burgundy and reddish black. There are a number of species of Porphyra growing on the Pacific Coast. Nori has a broad one or two cell thick blade that grows to about 18 inches in length sometimes up to three feet. While walking along the beach you can spot small tufts, usually less than 6 inches in length, of nori growing on large round rocks at the high intertidal zone. The wet blade is stretchy because of its generous protein content. Because of its thin blade it dries quickly in the sun clinging to the rocks like cellophane. The wet nori turns from an olive green-brown color to black when dried.
Nori can be gathered any time of year on the Pacific Northwest Coast depending on the location. The best time of year to gather nori is throughout the summer months when the nori is about a foot in length and before the sun bleaches the blades in late summer. By late summer/early fall the quality of the nori decreases this is a good time to give the seaweed a rest. In late spring small tufts appear on the rocks and as the months roll on the nori matures to a good length for gathering. To gather nori, gently tear the blades from the rocks leaving behind the holdfast. I have noticed that nori may have a few growth cycles throughout the season.
Important: Before eating nori, sort through each piece and remove rocks, snails and other small objects. Stretch out each small piece of seaweed and lay to dry in the sun on a sheet, tarp or screen. Enjoy eating nori toasted, fried or added to a stir fry.
The flavor of nori changes quite pleasantly depending on preparation. Toast nori on a cookie sheet in the oven on a very low temperature for less than 10 minutes and check to avoid burning, or on the stove top in a dry pan to crisp. Grind it up to use as a shaker seasoning. Combine with toasted sesame seeds for an even more nutritious condiment.
Break or cut with scissors into very small pieces, again double check for any snail shells or small stones, remove and add to stir fries. Nori will readily soak up the flavors of your marinade of choice; works well with a teriyaki marinade. Everyone who tries nori prepared this way loves it! It’s the most healthy and delicious chip.
Try frying nori in coconut oil or olive oil. Add a ½ inch of oil to a small fry pan and heat oil until it pops. Lower heat to medium and add inch long or smaller pieces of nori. As soon as nori is fully coated it should be ready to remove from the oil less than 20 seconds. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain. Garnish your home made miso and ramen noodle soups with toasted or fried nori!
Really bummed out that Kacie left us for the landlocked Appalachian splendors of Asheville, NC. I learned alot about seaweeds from her, and hope at some point she comes back this way so she can sell me some durned seaweeds!
Crab Snaring:
Champion de la Banana
Right when I was ready to call it quits, I went out to one of my favorite crab beaches and snared 3 keepers in two hours. So they're here again! I've had a hard time keeping myself stocked with crab snares so I am now buying them all from the Champion. Champion de la Banana that is. The guy who taught me how to make them in the first place. Anyway, eel-mail me if you want to come get a few snares: [email protected] 10 bucks each, (with lead).
Osmeridae:
Well the nocturnal true smelts are well and good. But I'm really hoping the diurnal osmerids start showing up soon. And hopefully last year's total disappearance was an anomaly, and not the beginning of a ten year trend.
This year I have to remember to get footage while I'm actually bangin the smelt. But until then, here's what it's like when they are running kind of light.
And that'll do it for March 2014.
Until April. See ya at, in, or on the water.
--Kirk-out