A coalition of chefs, restaurateurs, commercial fishermen, anglers, hunters, lodge owners, outfitters, guides and Alaska Native leaders, organized by TU-AK, designated October as Alaska Wild Salmon Month in Washington, D.C. The goal was to shine a spotlight on conservation of Alaska's wild salmon watersheds including the Tongass National Forest and Bristol Bay.
As part of Alaska Wild Salmon Month, a number of prominent D.C.-area restaurants featured Bristol Bay salmon on their menus throughout October. In support of Alaska Wild Salmon Month, Chef Todd Gray of Equinox Restaurant hosted a Bristol Bay salmon tasting event for local and national food writers. Rated among the top restaurants in Washington, D.C., Equinox won the 2008 Restaurant Association Award for Best Fine Dining.
"Bristol Bay sockeye salmon is truly superb. With wild salmon runs increasingly rare the world over, this outstanding fish deserves full-scale protection from proposed mining in Bristol Bay. I'm honored to promote awareness of this wild salmon and the threat it faces," Gray said.
During the week of Oct. 19-23, Trout Unlimited hosted several Bristol Bay and Tongass wild salmon events in Washington, D.C. to celebrate Alaska Wild Salmon Month. These included meetings on Capitol Hill by a delegation of concerned Alaskans, a Bristol Bay wild salmon reception at the historic Stewart R. Mott House, and a screening of the award-winning documentary about Bristol Bay, Red Gold, followed by a panel discussion with Alaska Natives, policy makers and others at National Geographic headquarters.