Go Wild For Salmon

It's been a tense wait to see what this year's catch of wild salmon delivered. But according to The Fish Society, there should be plenty to meet customer demand in the pre-Christmas rush for this wonderful specimen.

While the fly fishing season kicks off in March, commercial wild salmon catching traditionally starts three or four months later when the main body of fish turn up from Greenland. It's carried out by artisan fishermen who hold strictly rationed licences to net salmon at the mouth of the river, usually during night time hours only.

With commercial catching beginning almost three months later than usual this summer, it was a nerve-wracking time for the whole industry. Particularly since the price of wild salmon ranges from three times the price of farmed salmon to six times, depending on the amount of fish caught commercially. 

As the wild salmon season draws to a close, Alistair Blair, chairman of The Fish Society is relieved. "We think we've got Christmas covered for this vital fish," he says. "The 2013 season started very late and by July we thought it might be a really poor year. One of our suppliers usually gets going in April or May but this year he had nothing. Thankfully, the fish turned up big time in August and we were able to buy good quantities, mainly from the east coast."

The Fish Society offers wild salmon as whole fish, boneless fillet portions or on-the-bone steaks. It also has a range of wild salmon sashimi including 'chalkstripe', the rich salmon belly beloved by sushi fans.