The Catch - May 2011

Leadership SLO Business Day 2011

Radiation in Japan and your Seafood Supply?

Product Spotlight:
Penn Cove Select Oysters

This is my favorite part of the job. This weekend my wife and I were able to try out some new oysters we received for Samish Bay, Washington. They are called Penn Cove Select Oysters. They are about the size of a silver dollar, and their shells are firm and not brittle. They are very easily opened and packed with meat. Not salty at all, actually very buttery leaving your taste buds wanting more. They are extremely smooth, well balanced with a beautiful after taste of oily goodness. I highly recommend them to any raw oyster lover. It would be murder to cook these. Please save an oyster eat it raw.

Chris Batlle
CCS Operations Manager

Leadership SLO Business Day 2011

Giovanni Comin, Central Coast Seafood Owner/President, participated on the panel for the Leadership SLO Business Day 2011 on April 8th. The goal of the program was to give participants a glimpse into San Luis Obispo's wonderful business community and show how some of the most successful companies do well partly because of how they give back to the community and environment.

Here are a couple of the class responses when asked “What was your favorite part of the day?”:

• "Just hearing that growth and the bottom line do not trump the social and environmental obligations of businesses in SLO, from both the county and the businesses was heartening…"
• "…they (business owners) provided a great spark of interest in showing how a person can not only start their own company and succeed at it, but also help the community as well."

Learn more about Leadership San Luis Obispo

A Delicious Journey!

We would like to thank Chefs Bradley Ogden, Brian Ridgeway and Jordan Graf at Root 246 for their generous invitation to cook for us!

Sweet Pea Soup

Wild Smoked Salmon

Strawberry Medley

Vice President of CCS Nancy Osorio and Sales Associate Theresa Smith and their husbands Jerry and Davey were invited to sit in the kitchen at the Chef’s table and sample a 9 course wine paired meal. “It was a palatial journey of wonder and ecstasy.” said Smith. “And… we were treated like family from the moment we entered, which included a cuddle with Chef Brian’s 1 year old daughter, Jameson.”

Jameson was just part of the extreme treats that were about to land on the table. First, drinks to cool off the warm Santa Ynez Valley sunset. Gin and Tonic with sprigs of fresh basil and a few thin slices of Jalapeno pepper over ice and fresh lime. Then began the carefully orchestrated courses. “We had a purple fingerling potato with caviar and crème fresh to start.” Said Osorio. “Followed by juiced snap pea soup that was absolutely delicious.” There were two different salmon dishes. One was a magnificent delicate smoked salmon with endive and lightly breaded squid rings, and the other was a wild seared King salmon with a creamy quail egg. Chef Brian created tortellini stuffed with wild mushrooms, foie gras “peanut butter and jelly” aptly described because it was buttery and sweet. Then a signature Ogden specialty of cheese soufflé that literally melted on your tongue, served with strawberry foam. There was a sirloin and potato dish that was anything but meat and potatoes. And a strawberry medley for dessert, created by pastry chef Johan Denizot. The wines were equally superb and grown within a stone’s throw of the restaurant.

After the meal, Chef Brian took his guests on a tour of the kitchen. “Nothing is spared.” Said Chef Brian. “Bradley Ogden believes in the latest and greatest.” There is a smoker, an indoor state of the art wood burning grill, juicers, squeezers, dehydrators, rows and rows of burners and several walk-ins for proteins, produce and dairy-- all organized like a science lab but not stuffy at all. Amidst the spotless stainless steel and well lit counters was a true air of artistry and pride.

Root 246 Friends—Central Coast Seafood thanks and salutes you for an evening that will not soon be forgotten.

From Left to Right: Davey Smith, Theresa Smith, Jerry osorio, Nancy Osorio, Brian Ridgeway, Melissa Grosso and Jordan Graf.

www.root-246.com

Radiation in Japan and Your Seafood Supply

Article provided by FishWise.org

Over the last few weeks, we have had many questions from seafood businesses and consumers alike about the overall risk of exposure to radiation resulting from the recent natural disasters in Japan.

Whilst it is difficult to make blanket statements about the safety of consuming considering the continuous developments, a few things should be pointed out:

Little to no fishing is being conducted in the area of the affected nuclear reactor.
Many of the radioactive isotopes that have been released into the water decay rapidly. In the unlikely case that affected fish (fish that swim outside of the affected area and are caught, for example) find their way into the U.S. seafood market, radioactivity levels would likely be negligible. The pollutants do not bioaccumulate in the same way as mercury, for example.
FDA and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are screening all imported food from Japan, including seafood. If radiation is detected above background levels, FDA samples and tests the shipment to determine the amount of radiation. As of April 19, the FDA had not detected radionuclides from the reactors in any of the seafood samples tested.

Any developments in the radioactivity testing of Japanese seafood can be found on the FDA Website.

Impressive Fall Run Allows a 2011 Commercial Salmon Season in California

Article provided by FishWise.org

This year, for the first time since 2007, there will be a substantial ocean salmon season in California after impressive fall returns of Chinook salmon to the Sacramento and Klamath Rivers.

In 2008 and 2009, poor salmon returns resulted in the largest commercial salmon closure on record. This year, however, the abundance forecast of Sacramento River fall Chinook is estimated at 730,000, far above the number needed for optimum spawning (122,000-180,000 fish).

The Klamath River fall Chinook forecast for 2011 is near normal at 371,000 fish. The Oregon Coast Coho forecast in 2011 is about 250,000, well above the 15-year average.

For 2011, commercial fishing will be permitted between the following landmarks, on the following days:

Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain, Oregon: April 15 - July 9, July 17 - August 31 and all of October.
Humbug Mountain to California border: Open May, June, July, and August, with Chinook quotas in June (1,500), July (1,200), and August (1,000).
California border to Humboldt South Jetty: Open July 2-20 with a 1,400 fish Chinook quota and August 1-15 with a 1,000 fish Chinook quota.
Horse Mountain and Point Arena: Open July 23-27, July 29-August 29, and Sept. 1-30, seven days per week.
Point Arena to Point Sur: Open May 1-31, June 25-July 5, July 9-27 (Saturday to Wednesday), July 29-August 29 and during the entire month of September.
Point Sur to the Mexico border: Open May 1-31, June 1 - July 5, July 9-27 (Saturday to Wednesday), July 29-August 29 and during the entire month of September.