#139 - Swimming Upstream: Ethical Salmon in an Era of Farmed Fish with Sam Pflaum of Ketchikan Sam's

What does ethical and sustainable seafood look like, and how in the world do we even begin to find such a thing? In this episode Andrea sat down with Sam Pflaum, owner and operator of Ketchikan Sam’s up in Ketchikan, Alaska, USA. Sam’s family has been living and fishing in Ketchikan, Alaska for several generations, and he understands the nature of the fish and the nature of the fishing industry. We asked him about farmed vs wild-caught salmon, different varieties of salmon, salmon hatcheries, ethics of salmon and eating fish when you live away from the ocean. We talked about alternatives to salmon and other types of fish that are good to eat, and we discussed seasonality and storing of fresh fish. This was a fascinating and eye-opening episode - seafood is a topic we are often asked about but we are not deeply educated on ourselves, and it was a relief to have someone to ask these questions who really understands the industry from all angles.After we finished recording the main feed episode, Sam took us on a walking tour of his fish plant, which you can see on our Ancestral Kitchen Podcast YouTube channel; supporters of the podcast can also listen in to the audio of this on the private podcast feed. Nothing beats seeing the visuals and walking outside to see the salmon running down the creek right outside the fish plant!Sam is educating us on how to find ethical suppliers wherever we may be, and the quality of fish to look for; we have also shared links to his online store for frozen fish shipping everywhere in the USA, in the show notes. There are plenty of other great resources in the show notes today too, so check them out for additional video content from Ketchikan Sam’s!* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here.Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient GrainsRead our Guide to Milling Your Own FlourGet all three of the podcast cookbooksWear our beautiful, sustainable merchandiseAlison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The BasicsAlison's Sowans oat fermentation courseVisit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here!* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *What We Talked About:What was the last thing you ate today?Let's do a deep dive on salmon - current sustainability issues, fishing ethics, regulations, as well as farmed vs wild-caughtShould someone who lives away from the sea be eating ocean seafood?What are some reasonable alternatives to salmon?The rising cost of seafood - prices double as tariffs block global imports of cheap, net-caught seafoodFish seasonality - when to look for certain fish? How long can we store them in the freezer?Jakob wanted to know: What sea animals can you smoke?Visit Ancestral Kitchen Podcast on YouTube to see a walking tour of the fish plant and smokehouse, as well as hear Sam's favorite ways to cook and serve fish!The personal views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect our own personal views or opinions. We recognize that our guests are whole persons and this may include views we or our audience actively disagree with; our guests are invited to the show because we feel they have something valuable to share with us all, and we do not ask them to censor their personal views on air. Our sharing of their work is not necessarily an endorsement of their p