$13.99/# fillets at Top Foods in Bellevue.

They are clearly marked as "Columbia River wild Chinook, commercial-caught".

Go figure.

catch your own fish don't support the wild gillnet caught fish please.Give it time you will get one it's still early.

Or... just hang in there.. the tribes will get you one for a whole lot cheaper than 13.99 a pound soon enough.

I thought that all wild chinooks had to be released by sport and commercial fishery??

I think that is what the poster was implying. Not that he needed to buy one just that people are selling them. At least that's what I got from the post... I could be wrong!

In the fish industry, "wild" can mean that it was caught out in the "wild", IE ocean/CR, not farm raised.

They probably are hatchery clipped fish caught out in the "wild" Columbia River, hence "Wild Kings".

Why would a sport fisherman support a gill netter???????.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

I should have put a "TIC" in the post.

I plan on calling Top Foods tomorrow to complain about their false advertising.

Something along these lines:

If you are , indeed, selling "wild" Chinook you are selling ESA protected and , therefore, illegal salmon. If you are selling hatchery born Chinook that have their adipose fin clipped you are selling legal fish which should not be mislabelled as "wild".

Go get em Granpa. Let us know what they say. A little education can't hurt.

But . . . It would be cheaper to buy the damn things. Nick and I went for two days this week. I estimate total trip costs of about $450 not including beer. We ended up with four keepers that were about 14 pounds on average, which gives about 10 lbs of meat per fish, for a total 40 ls of meat. Jeesh, I just did the math. Our cost less than the super market fish. We were saving money. Wait till I tell the wife how much I saved!!!

Good luck talking to Tops. I'm curious as to what they say. I don't like how the fish are labled either, but out of curiosity, how do you think they should be labled? "Wild Hatchery"? "Hatchery Wild"? I imagine that something along those lines would confuse the hell out of consumers.

The "Wild" designation irritates me too. I attended a showing of a fish farm documentry and the film maker made a big deal that they were able to convince several local grocery stores to label their fish "Wild" or "Farmed".

When I explained what the term "Wild" ment to me and thousands of other recreational fishermen in the NW, they looked at me like I was crazy. Don't think they understood.

Here is my predicament: I have been asked to bring 50# of fish to a wedding in CA in May. Well, there are no AK caught fish available right now that I can find, so I will be purchasing CR Springers caught by WA commercial fishermen. I feel guilty, but not sure what else to do - I am expected to bring fish, and I don't fish the Columbia, and the 1 blackmouth I caught this year ain't gunna feed 50. Hmmmm. I hesitated even admitting this on the board, but if you have other ideas for me, it's not to late for me to change plans.

Thanks

I would go with farmed. I know, I know, artificially colored; but they are in good supply, the fillets are predictable, and the cost is manageable.

I remember reading about another store doing the same thing awhile back.Safeway,maybe.Not positive.Seems like the game dept or somebody got involved.They had to change the ad to say (Wild caught salmon)Like I said I'm not positive on the particulars but I do remember the Wild caught part.Somebody on here will probably know the whole story.

Safeway was the one selling the (wild) fish. Personally I wont buy any salmon or steelhead from any store or anyone else as long as I am sport fishing for them. (Back up, unless they say they are from Alaska.)

Jeff D,

My suggestion is that you contact some Tribal fishermen. They have the most consistent access to the fish and the best prices.

The Quinault Tribe might be your best bet being that they should have OP Chinook at that time and possibly some early Sockeye.

I'd opt for the Sockeye but the choice would be tough.

Just went to the Olympia Farmer's Market today and checked out the Sea Blossom Seafood stand... looks like they too are guilty of selling wild fish. I can't recall ever having seen a single hatchery fish sold there. All this talk of wild fish makes me wonder if the Alaskan wild salmon I buy from the grocery store is ESA listed.

Rockhopper:Even some of the "wild" Alaska salmon is hatchery raised. The state has a major pink salmon hatchery program.

Jeff D,

For salmon in May, there will be Alaska Copper River kings available. They're very expensive. The best alternative would be Columbia River springers from the Treaty fishery, usually being sold at Cascade Locks. I'd place that source on a higher ethical ground than buying them from the non-treaty commercial fishery, altho that's a subjective value, and I'm sure there are many here that would debate it. The difference in my view is that the non-treaty fishery is one that we ought to be able to influence; the treaty fishery is one that is a very long shot for changing.

Any way, that's a means to the end of you supplying salmon for a large fish feed in May.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.