Edible San Francisco Winter 2012 : Page 16

edible PROFILES Catching Up with a Few of Our Favorite Bay Area Seafood Wranglers Photos by Stacy Ventura ERNIE KOEPF Grew up in? Half Moon Bay Current ’hood? Oakland Gig? Herring fisherman on San Francisco Bay Name of your boat? Ursula B Docked? Fisherman’s Wharf, right behind Scoma’s Been fishing since? 1976 Only herring? I fish for salmon too. And I used to fish for albacore and crab. But all of your herring catch previously went straight to Japan? Yes, for the sac-roe market. The herring are frozen and trans-shipped to Canada for processing; the roe are shipped on to Japan and the meat goes to other uses. Sometimes it just gets discarded. And now you’re selling some locally? I lobbied Fish & Game for a regulation change to extend the fresh market season from November 1 to April 1 (the Forage Species Conservation In the 1920s, a million pounds of herring were harvested annually from the San Francisco Bay, all of it for human consumption. Fisherman Ernie Koepf is hoping to revive that tradition by beginning once more to offer the local herring catch to restaurants and consumers alike . and Management Act of 2011, AB 1299). Prior to that there was just a two-week window of opportunity, which was impractical. How many boats fish for the fresh market herring in SF Bay? There are two permits for the fresh market in San Francisco Bay. But I expect it to grow, depending on my success. How much of your catch is going to the fresh market now? 300 to 500 pounds a week, depending on demand. I work with Mel Wickliffe at Pier 45 Seafood, who supplies chefs and restaurants (Quince and Chez Panisse, for starters). Paul Johnson of Monterey Market in San Francisco and Berkeley is really interested in promoting it as well. Some of the catch also goes to Monterey. No herring in Monterey Bay? No, it’s not an ocean fishery. There’s a run in the winter, in November, that comes into San Francisco Bay, Tomales Bay and Humboldt Bay. The peak of the spawning season is January. What’s your usual catch? We got 15 tons the other night near Sausalito, and then we caught another 15 tons the next night. We’re landing 2,000 tons annually. Is that sustainable? The biomass in SF Bay in last 35 years has averaged 45,000 tons. We are allowed to harvest 5% of that, which is known as the harvest ratio. It’s a sustainable rate. Bycatch? Not too much. In the wintertime when fresh water flows into the Bay the sardines and anchovies move out to sea and the herring move in. We occasionally get some jack smelt. The fresh water really makes the Bay come alive. There’s more herring, more jack smelt, more everything. The Bay is much cleaner now than it used to be. Do herring spawn with the tides? Herring usually spawn in the hours between 3am and daylight, so we begin fishing at night. We use two-inch mesh that harvests mostly 4-year-olds. That leaves the year-class of 2-and 3-year-olds untouched. What’s the average herring life span? Up to seven years Usual fishing spots? We fish the piers, San Quentin, Angel Island, Treasure Island, Alameda, Coyote Point, Candlestick Point and Point San Pablo up by The Brothers. THE FRESH WATER REALLY MAKES THE BAY COME ALIVE. THERE’S MORE HERRING, MORE JACK SMELT, MORE EVERYTHING. Herring used to spawn all the way to Alviso, historically. Anywhere you can’t fish? Years past, we’ve fished the waters next to Golden Gate National Recreational Area but they recently changed their policy to dictate that commercial fishing is not consistent with usage of parklands. We have a sustainable practice and a fishery management plan but the Park Service now claims jurisdiction out to 1,500 feet and we fish right on the shore where the herring spawn. It’s very selective and discriminatory. Biggest thing ever caught in your net besides herring? A snag 16 | EDIBLE SAN FRANCISCO WINTER 2012

Edible Profiles

Catching Up with a Few of Our Favorite Bay Area Seafood Wranglers Photos by Stacy Ventura ERNIE KOEPF In the 1920s, a million pounds of herring were harvested annually from the San Francisco Bay, all of it for human consumption. Fisherman Ernie Koepf is hoping to revive that tradition by beginning once more to offer the local herring catch to restaurants and consumers alike. Grew up in? Half Moon Bay Current 'hood? Oakland Gig? Herring fisherman on San Francisco Bay Name of your boat? Ursula B Docked? Fisherman's Wharf, right behind Scoma's Been fishing since? 1976 Only herring? I fish for salmon too. And I used to fish for albacore and crab. But all of your herring catch previously went straight to Japan? Yes, for the sac-roe market. The herring are frozen and trans-shipped to Canada for processing; the roe are shipped on to Japan and the meat goes to other uses. Sometimes it just gets discarded. And now you're selling some locally? I lobbied Fish & Game for a regulation change to extend the fresh market season from November 1 to April 1 (the Forage Species Conservation and Management Act of 2011, AB 1299). Prior to that there was just a two-week window of opportunity, which was impractical. How many boats fish for the fresh market herring in SF Bay? There are two permits for the fresh market in San Francisco Bay. But I expect it to grow, depending on my success. How much of your catch is going to the fresh market now? 300 to 500 pounds a week, depending on demand. I work with Mel Wickliffe at Pier 45 Seafood, who supplies chefs and restaurants (Quince and Chez Panisse, for starters). Paul Johnson of Monterey Market in San Francisco and Berkeley is really interested in promoting it as well. Some of the catch also goes to Monterey. No herring in Monterey Bay? No, it's not an ocean fishery. There's a run in the winter, in November, that comes into San Francisco Bay, Tomales Bay and Humboldt Bay. The peak of the spawning season is January. What's your usual catch? We got 15 tons the other night near Sausalito, and then we caught another 15 tons the next night. We're landing 2,000 tons annually. Is that sustainable? The biomass in SF Bay in last 35 years has averaged 45,000 tons. We are allowed to harvest 5% of that, which is known as the harvest ratio. It's a sustainable rate. Bycatch? Not too much. In the wintertime when fresh water flows into the Bay the sardines and anchovies move out to sea and the herring move in. We occasionally get some jack smelt. The fresh water really makes the Bay come alive. There's more herring, more jack smelt, more everything. The Bay is much cleaner now than it used to be. Do herring spawn with the tides? Herring usually spawn in the hours between 3am and daylight, so we begin fishing at night. We use two-inch mesh that harvests mostly 4-year-olds. That leaves the year-class of 2- and 3-year-olds untouched. What's the average herring life span? Up to seven years Usual fishing spots? We fish the piers, San Quentin, Angel Island, Treasure Island, Alameda, Coyote Point, Candlestick Point and Point San Pablo up by The Brothers. Herring used to spawn all the way to Alviso, historically. Anywhere you can't fish? Years past, we've fished the waters next to Golden Gate National Recreational Area but they recently changed their policy to dictate that commercial fishing is not consistent with usage of parklands. We have a sustainable practice and a fishery management plan but the Park Service now claims jurisdiction out to 1,500 feet and we fish right on the shore where the herring spawn. It's very selective and discriminatory. Biggest thing ever caught in your net besides herring? A snag THE FRESH WATER REALLY MAKES THE BAY COME ALIVE. THERE'S MORE HERRING, MORE JACK SMELT, MORE EVERYTHING. TIM ARCHULETA Ichi is one of the few sushi bars in San Francisco where tradition takes a stand and Chef Tim Archuleta's impeccably sourced seafood is best enjoyed without the obligatory dunk into a saucer of soy and wasabi. Born? Sacramento Current 'hood? Bernal Heights Gig? Owner and chef, Ichi Sushi, 3369 Mission St. Open? Since September 2010 Focus? Bring sushi back to what it's supposed to be Which is? Simple and elegant Because? Somewhere along the time line of sushi being served in America, there has been this disconnect of how sushi is supposed to be eaten. Like drowning it in a fire-breathing blend of wasabi paste and soy sauce? Wasabi's purpose is to open up your senses so you can get the full flavor of the fish. We suggest that you put wasabi for sashimi on the fish and not in the soy sauce dish. It was never intended to make sushi spicy, or to blow your nostrils out and make you cry. But Americans love to dip! Sashimi and rolls are the only things I suggest customers dip in soy sauce. I season all the nigiri for you. And no ginger on top? Ginger's purpose is to cleanse your palate between the different fish you order. It's not a salad, and was never intended to be put on top of sushi as a condiment. Lets talk fish of the sustainable variety. We don't put sustainability at the forefront of our menus, because I feel like it's such a buzzword and sometimes it feels like it's out there as a gimmick. Using sustainable practices is my job as a human, to protect my surroundings while I'm living on this Earth, and to ensure that generations after me can enjoy all the things I have. Sushi chefs need fish to do their jobs. And I want to make sure I can do my job for a lot longer. What about blue fin tuna? Surely customers must ask for it. We don't carry blue fin because it's in danger of becoming extinct. Don't get me wrong: Wild blue fin tuna is delicious, but we have a greater responsibility to preserve it. Customers also can't believe we don't carry unagi (freshwater eel). Unagi doesn't get the press that blue fin does, but it's just as in danger of becoming extinct. They're caught when they're babies, shipped to China to be farmed and processed, and never breed. Favorite sushi? My favorite time to eat sushi is in the wintertime. I know people tend to think that sushi is best enjoyed during the warmer months, but the winter is when the fish is best. We carry a lot of Japanese fish. In the winter, the waters surrounding Japan are colder. The colder the water, the more fat content the fish has. The more fat, the more flavor. If I had to pick one fish, I would say wild hamachi in the wintertime is my favorite. But I love all traditional sushi. When I go into a sushi restaurant, I want to eat everything in the sushi case, starting from the lightest fish and finishing with uni. It's hard to taste much else after uni. When we do omakase at the restaurant, uni is always second to last and tamago is always last. Hot or cold sake? I prefer cold sake to hot sake. Some sake can be heated, but once you exceed a certain temperature, you lose all the subtle aromas and flavors. The hot sake you get at most Japanese restaurants comes from a box and is piping hot. They serve it hot because it masks the unpleasant flavor. Box sake is usually the bottom-of-the-barrel sake. Tools of the trade? I have a knife obsession. It might be the only reason why I'm a sushi chef. I have over 20 knives but I only use four regularly. I have two yanagis (single-beveled sushi knives) and switch back and forth. Both knives are the brand Kia. One of these knives was my first real sushi knife. A Japanese chef that I used to work with told me that all the chefs in the sushi magazines in Japan used Kias. I was very proud of that. I also use an 11- inch chef knife (wa gyuto) made by Yoshikane. It's made from SKD steel. It's an awesome piece of metal. Lastly, I regularly use a Masamoto brand usuba (single-beveled vegetable knife.) It's nothing fancy, but I have had it forever. Sharpen your own? I have three Shapton stones: a rough stone, a medium stone and polishing stone. The most important stone I have is the stone fixer. It keeps the stone flat, which is very important. If your stone is curved, your knife will look like a hook. Random last question: Favorite late-night snack? Either a frozen bean and cheese burrito with a fried egg on top or something delicious my wife made earlier for dinner. SUSHI CHEFS NEED FISH TO DO THEIR JOBS. AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE I CAN DO MY JOB FOR A LOT LONGER. Anna Larsen Siren SeaSA is Anna Larsen's "obsessively curated" seafood subscription service modeled after a traditional community-supported agriculture (CSA) membership (boxed fruit and vegetable delivery) program and sonamed after her operatic talent. Each week's catch comes straight from the boat directly to subscribers with only minimal handling along the way. Current 'hood? Petaluma Gig? North Coast Fisheries quality control assurance manager Part-time gig? Seafood Slinger for Siren SeaSA Part-part-time gig? Opera singer Background in fishing? I went clamming and fishing with my dad growing up. I used to go to his duck blind out by China Camp and fish off of the porch while he was rebrushing. I would pretty much just catch stingrays, but I have always loved being on the water. But I am determined to get out for some salmon fishing when the ocean sport season opens again. How fresh is the usual Siren delivery? Caught on Thursday, filleted on Friday, delivered on Saturday Fish that doesn't make the cut? I immediately walk away from fish that doesn't meet my time constraints. If it looks like it has been out of the water for three days, it has. Also, I want to talk to the fisherman myself and see the Fish and Game tag. If I cannot do both of those things for whatever reason, I do not buy the fish. Most seafood purchased at retail has been flash frozen at sea. How does that quality compare to the seafood you provide? It really depends on the kind of fish they are catching and how they are treating (freezing) it on board. Salmon hold up to freezing very well and frozen-at-sea salmon should be comparable to what I was able to get last summer. I thought the Bodega Bay King salmon last year was among the best salmon I had ever tasted from anywhere. I cannot say for sure why that was, but I think it has a lot to do with the freshness. Those fish were never frozen and were treated very delicately by the fishermen after they were caught. They were gorgeous. When can we expect our first sea urchin delivery (wink)? Sea urchins are too delicate, crayfish are too lively and live crab is too vicious! There's a hook-and-line rockfish operation out of Morro Bay that I would LOVE to buy from, but they are just too far away. These are the conundrums that keep me awake at night. Species you'll never have because of sustainability issues. Well, anything trawl-caught presents a sustainability issue. No sharks, ever. That is for sure. Would you say you've lucked out this winter with the lack of rain and stormy weather? It has still been very hard to buy fish, despite the calm weather. The whole fishing community focuses on Dungeness crab from mid- November when the season opens to mid-February when the demand tapers off. It has mostly been an issue of finding anyone who is out there catching anything but crab. My plan for crazy weather: tears. Is that a plan? Well, I have some more salmon put up that I can smoke and I have almost cracked the great live crayfish conundrum. My halibut guys are supposed to start going out again in late February, so I am hoping for a couple of calm Fridays so they can get out. What seasonal seafood in spring and summer are you looking forward to? Salmon! It is not a seasonal constraint, but I am really hoping that some one in Bodega Bay gets quota for a hook-and-line rockfish operation. That is a huge hole in what I can buy locally. Fishing boats on your wish list? Squid boats! They go out in the middle of the night and use bright lights to attract the squid to the surface. They look like spaceships out on the water. And I would really love to go out on a big trawl boat, just to see firsthand how they operate and what the relationship with the on-board observer is like. Number of fishing boats on the hook? Eleven Total number of siren members? Just hit 160! Total number of drop spots? Five, with plans to add some office drops in the spring as well as some midweek San Francisco drops. Target numbers you'd like to reach? Four hundred deliriously happy subscribers by the end of 2012. And I want to find more fishermen to buy from. Any time for singing when you're not elbow deep in squid ink? Yes. I practice a lot and do the occasional coaching. I am working hard to get my voice back into "fighting shape" right now. I have done a couple of gigs over the last year. My number one 2012 goal is to sing more! Random last question: Ever had to sing for your supper? I was very broke doing a summer program in Austria and I did some busking so that I could afford to eat good food and drink good beer. I was singing for my beer money. I IMMEDIATELY WALK AWAY FROM FISH THAT DOESN'T MEET MY TIME CONSTRAINTS. IF IT LOOKS LIKE IT HAS BEEN OUT OF THE WATER FOR THREE DAYS, IT HAS.

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