World’s largest salmon barbecue in Fort Bragg cooks salmon to save them
There has been no salmon fishing in California for two years. So how could there be something called "the world's largest salmon barbecue" in Fort Bragg on Saturday?
Thousands of people fleeing inland heat are expected to the relatively chilly Mendocino Coast this weekend, some to enjoy the 53rd annual cooking of wild caught salmon.
Held at Grader Park in south Noyo Harbor on the first Saturday of July annually, the "World's Largest Salmon BBQ" sponsored by the nonprofit Salmon Restoration Association runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with live music all day. Shuttle parking is available. After dark, the city of Fort Bragg presents a free fireworks show above the entrance to Noyo Harbor.
Ticket sales were about 2,500 last year, and this year's online sales so far are a bit ahead of last year, said Michael Miller, executive director of the SRA. Proceeds benefit salmon restoration causes.
Miller has a quick explanation to the common question: Why are we cooking salmon to save them, especially since there is no salmon fishing this year in California?: "We aren't cooking California salmon. We buy the salmon from Alaska, which come from sustainable, tagged wild caught stock of Coho salmon."
Rick Sacks, a former commercial fisherman and longtime local businessman who has cooked at the event for decades, answers the question with a T-shirt that reads, "We restore them, they restore you."
Surveys by the SRA have shown that the barbecue attracts more out-of-towners than locals, with most from Ukiah, the Bay Area and the Sacramento Valley. Many people come back year after year.
The hope is visitors will come to love wild caught salmon and vote to support salmon restoration and fishing. The salmon is cooked by local dignitaries and the likes of U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, who attends every year along with other politicians and civic leaders.
Bonterra Organic Vineyards from Hopland is providing and pouring all the wine, Miller said. Thanksgiving Coffee, whose headquarters is just across the parking lot in Noyo Harbor, provides coffee. North Coast Brewery, which has been making microbrews in Fort Bragg since the 1980s, sells beer and donates the proceeds. Another local favorite is homemade Cowlicks ice cream.
Every person gets an overflowing plate of salad, corn, garlic bread and salmon for the $35 ticket. Ticket prices have remained the same for several years, Miller said.
Live entertainment will include six bands, mostly seasoned local groups. However, Miller said newer acts will get a chance this year for "20 minutes of fame" between sets, something new this year.
All fishing for Chinook or king salmon has been canceled by regulators for the past two years in California, due mostly to poor returns from the ocean. Salmon return to rivers after two or three years. Drought conditions prevailed in the past several years ago.
Coho, or silver salmon fishing has been banned for many more years and is not expected to resume. Coho were victims of legacy logging practices that silted up their streams and small Coastal Rivers. Chinook salmon favor larger rivers, like the Sacramento River system and the Klamath River.
