The world's best wild salmon with Emily and Christopher Nicolson

You don’t have to be a fish fancier to love this conversation.

If you want to be inspired about food that’s delicious and healthy, plus sourced and distributed with integrity, then here is an episode to cheer your heart. I simply loved this interview.

Emily and Christopher Nicolson are partners in the Iliamna Fish Company, which aims to provide the world’s best wild salmon.

A fourth-generation family business set up in 1948, they hand-catch wild red sockeye salmon from Bristol Bay in Alaska.

And it’s all done in the most inspiring way.

First of all, the fish itself is one of the most nutritious and safe of its kind due to its specific diet.

Then, there are university biologists who precisely direct when and how they fish, so that the salmon population survives and thrive year on year.

There are zero dodgy farm inputs (no feeds, no antibiotics, no dyes, nothing) – the fish are gleaned with integrity from the natural world.

They have a 0.015% bycatch rate, of which 90% returns live to the water.

They even have a fish sales and distribution system which builds human community!

But none of this is done with an eye to how ‘virtuous’ it looks. The unassuming excellence and integrity of their work is simply based on generations of careful practice and wisdom.

In short, it’s the epitome of Nutrition With Love.

And I think just hearing Emily and Christopher talk about their work will brighten your day.

Emily Lavelle (Nicolson) is a partner in Iliamna Fish Company and manages its New York-based CSF and operations. She is trained as a carpenter and an artist. A native of Philadelphia with Italian heritage, Emily began fishing in Alaska with her husband, Christopher, a little over 20 years ago.

Christopher is a partner and cofounder (together with his cousins) of Iliamna Fish Company. He operates a small commercial fishing vessel during the summer months with his bride, Emily, and their grown children, in Bristol Bay, Alaska. He is a tribal member of the Denai'ina nation--long-time residents of the lake country at the base of the Alaska Peninsula--via his mother's bloodline.

Find them at: https://redsalmon.com/

Or at Christopher’s winemaking work: https://redhookwinery.com/winemakers

Useful organisations they mentioned:

Marine Stewardship Council: https://www.msc.org/standards-and-certification/fisheries-standard

Seafood Watch: https://www.seafoodwatch.org/

Contact Clare via her website: https://www.transformationnutrition.org/contact

Theme music is by Chris Marchand. You can find more of his work at https://chrismarchand.bandcamp.com/