Hanxter

Here we go - my favorite subject...

When in school, i first studied marine biology in Washington state., also worked at a steelhead hatchery (sea-run ranibow trout). They were trapped and trucked from spawning streams to the hatchery where the females were stipped of their eggs (to insure optimum egg count) & we "jerked off" the males for the milt (sperm).

The young were fed a combination of liver, shrimp & other nutrients to include vitamins. Once a certain size & weight, approxiamately 1 year old, they would be released to the wild to mature and return. The process continued.

Because of the commercial fisheries in the Northwest & the netting of the rivers allowed to the Native Americans, (The Boldt Decission - Boldt is NUTS not to mention an asshole), the natural populations of steelhead & salmon declined rapidly as the market value for skyrocketed. More commercial fisherman were then either bought out or moved to farming.

Today the practice of farming has become extremely controvertial. The fish are fed the same type of pellet crap now that was used decades ago. The fish we released to the wild grew out of the "liver" taste whereas the fish at market today taste like shit & have a texture of a wet sponge. I have been sport fishing for 40 years, (& yes - I'm an old fuck), and refuse to eat some fin bearing chemically raised organism some rich asshole tells me is a trout, steelhead or salmon. Just won't. Also, any farm raised fish that should escape the pens threaten native fish with deseases that natives are not immune to.

Here in Maine, it's illegal to sell native Atlantic salmon, the species is damned near extinct. While the landlocked salmon are prolific, hatcheries are still needed to satisfy the sportfishing demand. But the taste still sucks, so unless it's a killer, I release 99% of my catch. But, you go to a fish monger around here, where haddock is delightful, all you'll find for trout or salmon is garbage.

So, I may suggest to you to buy only native, commercially caught (NOT raised) salmon - the $$$ is worth it!!! The flavor is delicate so don't kill it with large amounts of sauces or garnishes. Smoking should be done carefully & with great care - it's easy to ruin if the fire is too hot and the time too short. Cedar chips well soaked in water gives a wonderful taste to the fish.

Now, the end of this...

DO NOT TELL ME THAT STEELHEAD IN THE GREAT LAKES ARE STEELHEAD!!! While they may have originally come from steelhead eggs, they are lake run rainbows!!! PERIOD!!!