I’ve fished the Pacific for 37 years and for 28 some years, I’ve been taking premium care of my albacore and salmon to present the highest quality.
It started in the biggest El Nino of the century back in 1981. I was just one of the production minded fishermen of the Pacific fleet who made a living catching volumes of salmon and tuna. With the El Nino came hot empty waters and lots of guys went out of business. I wondered how to make a living for my family catching fewer fish. The answer was quality! I found I could get more money by taking better care of my fish and selling to premium markets. In 1983 I put an air blast freezer on my fishing boat the EZC. I became the first FAS (frozen at sea) boat in the Oregon fleet. A broker sold my fish to quality minded restaurants across the country and Japan. After the first load went to market he told me “Herb, my buyer said there is something wrong with your fish.” Stunned, I asked what. The answer was. He said he loved them but there aren’t enough of them. Catch more!”
After the El Nino waned and the ocean bloomed with feed and fish, I decided I liked catching fewer fish to make the same money. I found a new pride in taking super care of two fish that deserve the best albacore tuna and Chinook salmon. For 70 some years the major canners have ruined what albacore should taste like, and when all the U.S. canners moved their plants to third world countries for the cheap labor pool, the quality dropped again.
Tuna is the most consumed fish in the country every year. Every kid grows up on tuna fish sandwiches. When new people try mine for the first time, they always say where has this been all my life?
