The P&J Oyster Company has been in operation in New Orleans for 134 years. Not any longer. The company has halted operations because oil from the BP spill has made it into its harvesting grounds. Bill Dewey is with Northwest oyster giant Taylor Shellfish. He says the last thing he’s thinking about is whether this is good for his business. He calls the folks at P&J his good friends.

Dewey: “We’re sick about what’s happening there in the Gulf. And we’re not out there trying to capture their markets, we’re more interested in trying to figure out ways to help them.”

Dewey says oyster prices and demand did go up after Hurricane Katrina. That could happen again. But he notes that Pacific oysters are different from Eastern and Atlantic ones. Plus, oysters from Washington and Oregon are farmed and it takes two to four years to grow them to market size. Dewey says he can’t just ramp up production overnight.

Copyright 2010 Northwest News Network

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Tower of Tuna Photo by Guy Hand

Bluefin tuna is the poster-fish for declining fisheries worldwide.  The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas reports that bluefin stocks hover at 15% of their historic levels.  Many organizations have called for a ban on bluefin tuna.

And that has sushi restaurants scrambling to find alternatives to a fish that is often the most popular on the menu.

As the Boston Globe reports, Bamboo Sushi in Portland, Oregon and Mashiko in Seattle are examples of sushi restaurants responding to the decline not only in bluefin, but other ocean species as well.  They are, however, the exception.

Casson Trenor, author of  the excellent book “Sustainable Sushi: A Guide to Saving the Oceans One Bite at a Time’’ say in the Globe article:

“A lot of sushi restaurants are in denial. Sustainability is not a choice. It’s coming. The sushi industry is falling apart. It’s eating itself, and we need to adapt to that.’’

Of course, seafood isn’t only served in sushi restaurants.  A new website called Fish2Fork is offering a restaurant guide for both the U.S. and Britain specializing in establishments that serve sustainable seafood.

Here are the Northwest restaurants listed at the site (the list certainly isn’t comprehensive, but promises to grow):

Seattle:

Etta’s Seafood: 2020, Western Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121, (206) 443-6000

Flying Fish: 2234, 1st Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121, (206) 728-8595 www.flyingfishrestaurant.com

Ray’s Boathouse: 6049, Seaview Avenue NW, Seattle, WA 98107, (206) 789-3770 www.rays.com

Waterfront Seafood Grill: 2801, Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98121, (206) 956-9171 www.waterfrontpier70.com

Oregon:

Bamboo Sushi: 310, SE 28th Ave, Portland, OR 97214, (503) 232-5255 www.bamboosushipdx.com

Idaho:

Bittercreek Ale House: 246, North 8th Street, Boise, ID 83702  www.justeatlocal.com/bittercreek

Here’s the whole story from Capital Press:

An Idaho wheat commissioner is in the early stages of looking at using the crop to replenish salmon populations.

Several reports are indicating the main problem with the fish not returning up the rivers from northern California to Alaska was the lack of food in certain parts of the Pacific Ocean, said Kieth Kinzer of Genesee, Idaho, a commissioner with the Idaho Wheat Commission.

Kinzer decided to couple the situation with the issue of sprouting, low-protein, poor quality wheat that millers do not want.

Preliminary efforts are under way to determine whether the oceanic life fish feed upon, such as plankton, could use wheat as an energy source to reinvigorate the dead zones in the ocean.

Kinzer has spoken with several researchers, and hopes to hear how much money would be necessary to make such an undertaking possible.

“We have to come up with something that has real science behind it, because it’s going to be a little bit of money to do,” Kinzer said. “It will be a lot cheaper than retrofitting dams or everything else we’ve ever done. I actually believe in my heart it could be the entire answer to the entire problem.”

Kinzer envisions scattering wheat along the continental shelf, from the edge of Canada down to California, using global positioning systems to make sure every area is covered.

If it works, it probably wouldn’t reduce world wheat stocks, Kinzer said, but it would provide an outlet for wheat that millers don’t want. Currently, such wheat is fed to cattle, he said.

It could also be another use for wheat, Kinzer said. He also pointed to commercial and sport fishing opportunities that could entail if salmon populations are reinvigorated.

“There’s quite a bit of economy that could be recovered if we could simply bring back the salmon stocks to the point where they’re not endangered anymore,” he said.

BELLINGHAM, WA - Wild Pacific Seafood co-owner Stephanie Hopkinson watches the family’s albacore tuna come off the canning line. Photo By Tom Banse

You’ve heard of micro-breweries. How about “micro-canneries?” They specialize in locally-caught, hand-packed albacore and salmon. A growing number of commercial fishing families are choosing to can their catch themselves. They can’t begin to compete with supermarket prices. But some of the custom-canned fish is reaching farmers markets, mail order catalogs, food co-ops, and the internet. Correspondent Tom Banse reports from Bellingham.

Click for the full story and audio

Josie Erskine of Peaceful Belly Farms — all photos by Guy Hand

Farm to Fork dinners are served on the very farms where the evening’s food is grown. They’re a national phenomenon. But ultra-fresh fare isn’t all these events offer.  In this episode of Edible Idaho, correspondent Guy Hand goes to dinner at Boise’s Peaceful Belly Farms and finds there’s more on the menu than a good meal.

To watch an AUDIO SLIDESHOW of this story, click here

Josie Erskine: “These meals are really interesting because they showcase vegetables. It’s really fun to see vegetables used so creatively and be at the forefront of the plate.

Chef Abby Carlson: “People have no idea what they’re getting.  They sign up for this dinner and they’re at my mercy.  I love it because I can do whatever I want; I can try out any recipe I want.  And they’re kind of amazed at what they like. And that’s one of the things about the dinners, people see food in a whole new light.”

Snake River Seafood © Guy Hand 2009

When most of us think of Idaho cuisine, the first thing that comes to mind isn’t likely to be seafood. Yet a relative of the lobster lives right here in our land-locked state. And, as correspondent Guy Hand learns in this installment of Edible Idaho, there’s a crowd of adventurous eaters eager to gobble up those tasty local crustacea.

First Encounter with a Crawdad © Guy Hand 2009

Idaho's Inland Seafood © Guy Hand 2009

Idaho’s Little Lake Lobster

Global Crayfish Info

Idaho Aquaculture Practitioner Leo Ray © 2009 Guy Hand

When you think of agriculture in the land-locked west, the first thing that comes to mind probably isn’t alligator. With the help of the clear waters and hot springs near Hagerman, Idaho, Leo Ray has helped expand the possibilities of raising food in the high desert.

A Tin of Idaho Caviar © 2009 Guy Hand