Chelsea Rose

Photos by Jeremy Burke

SUSTAINABLE FISHING - WHAT’S IN SEASON?

ewport is home to the largest commercial fishing fleet in Oregon — one of the largest on the West Coast — and you can buy seafood fresh off the docks! During the summer months, you can find tuna, salmon, black cod, lingcod and halibut — which, as a matter of fact, are among the most sustainably caught seafood.

Head on down to Port Dock 3, 5 and 7 and look for sandwich boards and bright flashy signs that advertise fresh catch. On Port Dock 3 and 7, you’ll find the historic Chelsea Rose and their floating barge, where all of these fish are available for purchase — they’ll even filet it for you. Or pick up some tuna that has already been canned. When you purchase from the docks, you’re supporting local, independent and often generational fisherman and their families.

Oregon albacore tuna has a short season that runs from June to October, but availability mostly depends on when these migratory fish arrive in our coastal waters close enough to shore. All albacore tuna is hook-and-line caught with a method internationally recognized for being environmentally friendly and sustainable.

Salmon is a seasonally permitted fishery caught by trolling, as well as another form of hook-and-line fishing. The season dates and catch quotas are established every year, ensuring sustainability. In Oregon, the season typically begins in mid March and finishes up at the end of October.

A fish that is becoming more popular on the Oregon coast is black cod, also known as sablefish and butterfish. Previously, most of the market for black cod was in Japan, and it was being imported, Black Cod has become a wellmanaged, permitted fishery right here on the West Coast. Not only does black cod have a rich flavor often described as buttery, it’s nourishing to the brain with high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids — more than Chinook salmon! Those looking to try this tasty fish without preparing it themselves can wander over to Local Ocean Seafoods across from the docs and order the black cod dinner, which is always locally caught. If you have a moment, pit stop in thefish market and glance into their case to see what boat your fish came from.

Pacific halibut is another smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed, with a highly regulated season. For the year of 2020, there were more fishing days available to fishermen, which in return meant more halibut being sold right off of the dock.

Fill your freezer, break out the mason jars and get down on some canning, or maybe strike a conversation with a local fisherman. To get a new recipe to try out with your locally caught seafood! Which sustainably caught fish has you wanting to run down to the docks?