Inaugural Bristol Bay Salmon Week slated for September in Washington D.C.

Restaurants around Washington D.C. will feature wild sockeye salmon from Bristol Bay, Alaska as part of Bristol Bay Salmon Week, which will take place from 16 to 20 September. 

The event, organized by the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association (BBRSDA), will put fillets from the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery front and center on menus at 28 restaurants across the nation’s capital. 

“Bristol Bay Salmon Week gives us an opportunity to showcase these special fish that feed the world. I hope Washingtonians will visit our partner restaurants to learn more about Bristol Bay and the sockeye it produces – and enjoy some delicious wild food,” said BBRSDA executive director Andy Wink in a press release. 

Participating businesses include Marcel’s, The District Fishwife, Coppi’s Organic, Brasserie Beck, and many more of the District’s top seafood-centric restaurants. Fish will also be prepared using traditional native recipes at the National Museum of the American Indian’s Mitsitam Cafe, where there will also be a food truck, fishmongers, and other promotional attractions. 

“We want people to support Bristol Bay by buying Bristol Bay, so by partnering with these restaurants we’re hoping to increase our consumer base and make people more aware of the industry,” explained BBRSDA program manager Cameo Padilla.  

The event comes at a time when the fishing industry is again locked in a fight over a proposed large-scale pit mine at the headwaters of fishing grounds in Bristol Bay. 

A full list of participating restaurants can be found at the event's official webpage. Several Wegmans grocery stores in Maryland and Virginia will also be featuring Bristol Bay sockeye during the week. 

BBRSDA is joined in sponsorship of the event by Antarctica Advisors, LLC, the Conservation Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, United Work and Travel, and the James Beard Smart Catch Foundation.

Photo courtesy of the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association