Thursday 8 November
2007
Thursday 11-8-07
Friends,
Hope the fall season is treating you with
pleasant times. Here at Dockside we continue to stay busy, and the availability
of some really outstanding local fish is as strong as ever. So we wanted to take
the time to let you know about them.
Our "Lobster-Fest weekend" with be back soon
by popular demand before the end of the year. And the Dungeness Crab season is
scheduled to begin on November 15. Depending on production they will be
available in the Market, and at a couple of "Crab-Fest" weekends" in the
restaurant.
The late summer/ early fall fishery for
swordfish is at full stride in our local waters, with much of the fishing 50 to
100 miles offshore. Along with Swordfish there are often other fish harvested at
the same time. Those include Bluefin Tuna, Opah, Mako Shark, and Thresher Shark.
In addition a few Louvar are also taken.
The Louvar is a strange fish, oval like a
tuna but compressed from side to side. The body is pinkish with dark spots on
the side and reddish fins. It has a slender, narrow connection to a large,
curved tail. The head is blunt with a tiny mouth and low-set eye. The Louvar's
digestive tract is specially designed to digest its primary food - jellyfish and
other gelatinous sea creatures. The Louvar can grow to over 6 feet and weigh in
excess of 300 pounds. Females produce huge number of eggs. A 5 foot individual
was estimated to contain 47.5 million eggs. This species lives its entire life
in the open sea, and occurs in tropical and subtropical waters of all oceans
worldwide.
So why tell you about Louvar? Well we have
been blessed with the efforts of Capt. O' Brien of the "AGUERO" with some of his
recent catch. Along with his Swordfish, and Opah, he also had a 70# Louvar that
will be featured in both the Fish Market, and the Restaurant this weekend. For
those of you that have been fortunate to have Louvar we need not say anymore, we
will see you. For those that have not had the opportunity to try this fish you
will find it as good as any fish you have ever had. A treat well worth a trip to
see us. Also this weekend with really good Swordfish production going on we will
be offering Swordfish at $8.50 a pound, and Opah for $7.50 a pound. You will
find these both an outstanding value. Most all know about Swordfish, but Opah is
another seasonal fish that if you haven't tried it you will be missing a
wonderful fish only available in our local waters for 2 or 3 months a year. We
will also have fish from Capt. Mintz of the "D.J." including some premium
Bluefin Tuna.
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family &
Crew
Thursday 11 October
2007
Hello,
I know we promised not to bother you much the
next few months unless we had something special to let you know about, and we
do!
We are happy to announce a Dockside "Lobster
Fest" weekend! With the start of another California Spiny Lobster season we will
be offering them for lunch and dinner by reservation only...... starting
at lunchtime on Friday October 19th and ending after dinner on Sunday October
21st. These spectacular crustaceans averaging 1.4 pounds a piece, will
be prepared traditional style with melted butter on the side, and served all the
other regular Dockside fixings. The price of lobster went up this year from last
season, but at $21.95 for a half lobster, and $31.95 for a whole, we hope you
find them delightful, and a fun event! With the high cost of lobster, we will
only be getting a limited amount, so please call early for reservations at (805)
772-8100.
As I write this Capt. Mark is making the
final arrangements to receive the lobsters next Thursday in time for our
"Lobster Fest." During this next week Capt. Norek of the "CRYSTAL PACIFIC", and
Capt.'s Southern of both the "ALIE IVAR" and the "LINDA FAYE" (father and son)
will be fishing lobster for Dockside and holding them in salt water live tanks
until their journey from Newport Beach to Morro Bay next Thursday. Many of you
will recall being blessed with lobsters from these fishermen in years past.
Capt. Mark had a slower week for Blackcod,
but our Rockfish supply remains strong. I also saw Capt. Mark putting a 120
pound Opah in the walk in cooler, so you will see Opah in both the Fish Market
and as a special in the Restaurant this weekend!
Remember lobster supply will be limited so
the early bird gets the worm!
Sea you at the Fest!
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family &
Crew
Thursday 4 October
2007
Ahoy Friends,
Happy October!
Wow, can you believe winter is nearly here?
Sad to say, but this is also the time of year when our weekly email postings
come to an end. Many of you "Fish-List" recipients already know that Capt.
Mark's typical fishing months are May 1st through September 30th. Although the
last couple of years have been anything but typical! Our reduced seasons have
been due to in-river issues on the Klamath, along with a northern shift of the
Salmon. When you add to that a lack of Albacore here on the Central Coast, it
has obviously put a dampener on our direct fish sales off of the "BONNIE
MARIETTA". For those of you who ask if we are still doing dockside sales off of
the "BONNIE MARIETTA", we want to assure you that as soon as conditions are more
favorable, they will RESUME! Capt. Mark and I are both disappointed with the
production during the last couple of seasons, but there was nothing the Capt.
could have done different to change that. If the Albacore and Salmon don't
cooperate, it is out of his hands. Not much different than a farmer with a
failed crop. Just remember, it will change as it has before, and we will be
waiting for that widow of opportunity.
Thanks for all the kind reviews of our
"You-Tube" posting of Capt. Mark's Blackcod fishing! Again much thanks to Jeff
Anderson of the Galley Restaurant, and soon to be completed Anderson Inn, for
making it all possible. Capt. Mark and Deck-Hand Jeff are already planning on
shooting both Salmon and Albacore footage for next season.
Here at Dockside Restaurant & Fish Market we
continue to be blessed with tremendous local product. Fresh Vermillion, Blue,
and Yellowtail Rockfish from Capt. Smith of the "AMBER-SEA". Grenadier, Chili
Pepper Rockfish, and Petrale Sole from Capt. Rutherford of the "EXCALIBUR". The
"EXCALIBUR" is actually from Oregon, but here doing some fisheries stock
assessments in our local waters. They are currently tied up behind the
restaurant on the Fishermen's Wharf, come on by and take a look at this vessel
it is huge!
Here at Dockside October means
"Lobster-Fest"! The California commercial Lobster season opened just this past
Wednesday and although its to early for any confirmed reports on production, we
anxiously await good news. As soon as we know, we'll let you know which weekend
to mark your calendar.
Last, but not least, this is Harbor Festival
weekend! Since we sit in the middle of the venue, we have been assured if you
want to eat at Dockside Restaurant or Fish Market, it will not be a problem.
Just get to the volunteer gate and tell them you're going to be eating at
Dockside. If you find yourself experiencing any difficulties please call either
Capt. Mark or myself at 772-8100. After the festival closes for the evening,
both the Restaurant & Fish Market will still be open and you should be able to
find some parking around the backside of the building (remember though this
parking will not be available while the festival is open). Saturday & Sunday
night from 6-8 pm we will be continuing our special $2.00 & $3.00 menu of beer,
wine & food on the Patio along with some really fantastic live music. And of
course, the Restaurant will remain open for dinner as usual. Hope to see you it
should be a pretty fun and sunny weekend!
Once again, our weekly postings are finished
for the year. We will however, still occasionally write when something special
is available here at the Restaurant or Fish Market.
Thank you for your continued support and
patronage. We truly hope you enjoy what we do as much as we enjoy doing it!
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family &
Crew
Thursday 27
September
2007
Ahoy Mates!
T' was another good week of Blackcod fishing for Capt. Mark . As
it stands he has been able to secure his weekly quota by only fishing one day a
week! Even though he would like to be at sea more often, I am happy because we
have him here at the Restaurant & Fish Market the rest of the week! Once again
Jeff Anderson (Capt. Mark's life long friend and sometimes mentor), made the
trip with him back out to the fishing grounds. By popular demand Jeff took more
video clips while aboard the "BONNIE MARIETTA". Just click on one of the http:/
links below and it will it will take you to the YouTube website where you can
view them. Once you get to the link there are more video clips available if you
want to watch them. Please feel free to e-mail us with any questions or
comments. Capt. Mark said it was a pleasure and very entertaining to have
"Deck-Hand-Jeff" aboard, and I say "thank you Jeff" for doing something that I
couldn't because I have no "sea-legs" to stand on, so to speak! Speaking of
"speak" Jeff did a great job of narrating, and my "Capt." makes this very hard
work look much easier than it really is! Seriously there is always so much more
behind the scenes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSJSyvjQVo8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RqJBM1wqgg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQsnvd52BRA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FFa5uTBa64
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0jWB1EbL6I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PXsIDmGCwA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR0qlfQ01VI
It was another really outstanding week of local fresh fish and
we have them available in both the Fish Market and Restaurant this weekend!
Capt. Mark picked up some California Halibut from Capt. Evans of the "LUCY-L",
and Capt. Ward of the "DANCING BEAR" brought us more Halibut. In addition they
both had a few Angel Sharks. Angel Shark makes outstanding "Fish & Chips" so we
will be featuring it at both the Fish Market and Restaurant. Capt. Williams of
the "LYNDY" made his first appearance on the "Who's Who" list of fisher's here
at Dockside, bringing us the seasons first local Opah, Swordfish, and Mako
Shark. Welcome Aboard, Capt. Williams! Of course many other regular fishermen
are still represented here including Capt. Smith of the "AMBER-C" and Capt.
Tobin of the "PLEASURE", with their steady supply of Vermillion Rockfish and
Lingcod.
Frequently we are asked why we never have "Red Snapper?"
...................
Did you now there is no "Red Snapper" on the West Coast of the United States?
Although many restaurants and fish markets sell what they call local "Red
Snapper" (or Pacific Red Snapper) the reality is that there is no such fish!
There are true "Red Snappers" but they do not live in our coastal waters. Local
"Rockfish" which includes about 60 different varieties, have and continued to be
lumped all together and sold as "Red Snapper." It's a lot less effort, but
untruthful at best. Here at Dockside we sell all the different Rockfish by their
true common names, not a name made up to make marketing easier. So in answer to
the question, we hope this sets the record straight and explains any confusion.
Capt. Mark loves to talk, about subjects like this, so next time you stop by
just ask him to elaborate!
Can you believe its almost October? And with October comes
Harbor Festival which is next weekend already Sat the 6th & Sun the 7th. In the
past, this weekend has been a bit difficult for us and our regular customers,
but this year we were promised things have been resolved. So we just wanted to
touch basis with you to let you know that we are still open during our normal
business hours and if you want to go to the Fish Market or eat at the
Restaurant, we have been assured it will be easy for you. All you have to do is
tell them your are going to Dockside, and you are to be admitted free of charge
and should be given parking access. If you have any difficulty please call us at
772-8100 and we will personally make sure you get to us. I'll touch basis with
you more on this in next weeks update.
Did you get a chance to see the full moon last night? It was
absolutely mystifying!
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family &
Crew
Thursday 20
September
2007
Ahoy Mates,
Black Cod fishing remains good and Capt Mark
continues to reach his weekly quota by only fishing one day a week! Some fun
news is that our friends who now calls himself "Deck-Hand-Jeff", is looking
forward to making another trip out on the "BONNIE MARIETTA" so he can catch some
more action on video. I'll be waiting to see whatever he comes up with so we can
share it with you in next weeks e-mail ! And yes this one should be a longer
clip than the first go around.
Well as summer comes to an end and things are
starting to quiet down, many of the local fishermen are either already home or
headed this way. To look at our display case in the Fish Market you wouldn't
know things are winding down because we have a really nice selection including
some fresh White Sea Bass from Capt. Sutton out of Santa Barbara, some pretty
spectacular California King Salmon that were caught by Capt.'s French, Capt.
Arnoldi and Capt. Blue. And we have several varieties of Rockfish including some
Cabezon provided by Capt. Cunningham.
Did you know that the name “Cabezon” (which
are sometimes referred to as Bullhead) is derived from the Spanish noun “Cabeza,”
meaning “head"? Cabezon are big headed and stubborn fish, which perfectly
describes their appearance and temperament! They can be found in Pacific waters
ranging from Baja to Alaska. These bottom dwellers can reach up to 25 lbs and
like Lingcod, their flesh can range from white to a turquoise green, which is
primarily dependant upon their diet. Nevertheless when you cook them up the
flesh turns white and they have a very delicate flavor. Come on by and let Capt.
Mark show you one of these big headed stubborn fish. It takes one to know one if
you know what I mean! Ha ha ha !
Until next week .......
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family &
Crew
Thursday 13
September
2007
Ahoy,
Wow it's already Thursday again, where did
the week go?!
Speaking of wow and week in the same
sentence, did you know that this is also "WOW" week at Cal Poly? "WOW" is the
acronym for "Week Of Welcome", which provides orientation for new students
entering Cal Poly. Best of luck to all the students back in school this year!
Another WOW for the week was calm seas and
successful Black Cod fishing for Capt. Mark! He said the ocean is still alive
with lots of Whales, Sea Lions and quite a few Sardines. Do you remember in last
weeks e-mail I mentioned that one of Capt. Mark's friends had gone out on the
"BONNIE MARIETTA" with him and took some short video clips? Well "Deck hand
Jeff", was able to put one of those video clips on the Internet for all of us to
view! It is short, but who knows, this just may be the beginning of something
new for us to share with you!
Albacore fishing up in Oregon has slowed down
and what few Salmon that were being caught are also gone. Many of the local
fishermen are starting to trickle back home now so we extremely pleased to have
some of the last of these fish available in the Fish Market thanks to Capt.'s
Jeff & John French of the "LANGOSTA II" and Capt. Arnoldi of the "ROSALENA
MARIE". On the brighter side of things local Black Cod and Rock Cod fishing are
going well and we have a nice selection available in the Fish Market and
Restaurant to prove it!
Click on one of the links below and you will
be able to watch the video on "You-Tube". It does not send any junk mail or
share addresses with any site that does. It is a safe site and its free!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjcHjgN1Uos
YouTube - Captain Mark
Wow What a Week!
Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family &
Crew
Thursday 6 September
2007
Ahoy Mates,
What a fantastic LABOR Day weekend! It was
beautiful in Morro Bay, and so hot everywhere else, it seemed like at one time
or another everyone was here at the beach. This was one of the busiest and most
fun weekends I can remember here at Dockside.
Good ole Capt. Mark has been having fun
fishing Black Cod. As matter of fact just this morning he left port around 4:00
am aboard the "BONNIE MARIETTA" back out to pull his traps. Curious to see what
all this Black Cod fishing is about, one of the Capt.'s life long friends, Jeff
Anderson (of the Galley Restaurant) accompanied him today and took some short
video clips of the action. He may be able to get those clips to us so we can
share them with you. I'll keep you posted on that. Anyways, the weather was a
little chunky from the South West as they started out, but got nicer as the day
went on. Luckily for Jeff, he has his sea legs and got to enjoy the trip a bit
more than I did last week! By the way I did finally find my sea-bands, just a
day late and a dollar short so to speak, ha ha! Once again the Humpback Whales
performed and today they were accompanied by some Porpoises. Needless to say the
guys were thoroughly entertained. Today was a successful trip with the Capt.
bringing in just over 1,000 lbs of fish and reaching his quota for the week; so
he will not be back out again until Sunday.
Not only did Capt. Mark have a good week so
did several other fishermen, one of which was Capt. Evans of the "LUCY- L". In
celebration of Capt. Evans' good luck and good fortune, we will be offering his
fresh California Halibut at a special price of $9.95 lb. in the Fish Market this
weekend. Capt. Smith of the "AMBER-C" brought us some nice Vermillion and Blue
Rockfish, Capt. Jones of the "ST. JOSEPH" supplied us with some gorgeous
California Spot Prawns, and Capt. Griffin of the "LITTLE FIN" brought in a
variety of Rockfish including Vermillion, Grass, Yellow, Gopher & Kelp. And
thanks again to Capt. Tobin of the "PLEASURE" for his steady supply of Ling Cod!
We are always proud to have spectacular fish
right off the boats, available for you to enjoy.
Sea you again next week !
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family &
Crew
Thursday 30 August
2007
Ahoy Mates,
What an adventure I had this week! I'm still
not exactly sure how it came about but somehow Capt. Mark managed to talk me
into going Black Cod fishing with him! Although, I don't have my sea legs, I did
get up dark and early Tuesday morning (about 3:00 am) and boarded the "BONNIE
MARIETTA" and we headed due west. Approximately 2 hours and 16 miles later, we
arrived at the spot where his Black Cod traps were set. I am still amazed with
all the electronic equipment on boats now days, it only takes the push of a
couple of buttons into a navigational computer (which coordinates with the auto
pilot) and whoa-la...the boat takes you right straight to the spot you want to
be! Its really pretty fascinating!
Once at our destination, Capt. Mark started
pulling in the first of several traps. If I remember correctly they were about
1400 feet down and it took about 20 minutes to get them to the surface. While we
were waiting for the traps Capt. Mark pointed out a couple of Humpback Whales
that were about 100 yards away from the "BONNIE MARIETTA". We watched them
breaching, slapping fins and diving in and out of water, and it looked like they
were dancing with each other. What a performance they put on for us!
Since I don't have my sea legs, it wasn't
long before I started turning green. Although green is my favorite color, it
doesn't feel good when your skin turns that color! So after kneeling over the
rail and "feeding the fish" so to speak I went looking for my "sea-bands". The
last time I went out on the "BONNIE MARIETTA" I used a pair of "sea-bands" that
I bought at Rite Aid and they worked perfectly for me! Sea-bands are a wrist
band that apply pressure on each wrist by means of a plastic stud (has something
to do with acupressure points) that can eliminate nausea for some people.
Unfortunately, we could not find them anywhere so I spent more than a little
time in the bunk that day!
Back on shore we have a nice selection of
local Rock Fish caught by Capt. Nungaray, Capt. Smith and Capt. Griffin, that we
will be featuring in both the Restaurant & Fish Market over the Labor Day
Weekend. Our Kitchen Manager, Joel Lopez, never ceases to impress the Capt. and
I with his talents in preparing our seafood here at Dockside. Come on by and see
what our daily specials are, one of which will be our popular Cioppino, yum yum!
Going out to sea with the Capt., reminded me
how easily it is to take for granted all the hard labor involved in someone's
every day job!
Cheers to all of us "Laborers", this is our
weekend! Wishing you a nice and relaxing weekend. Have fun & be safe!
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family &
Crew
Thursday 23 August 2007
Ahoy Mates!
Some good news to share ......
Capt. Mark made it back out to sea earlier this week to set his
Back Cod traps for the very first time! Its quite a different fishery compared
to Salmon and Albacore so we will be sharing more about it with you as we learn.
Anxious to pull the traps from his maiden voyage, Capt. Mark was
up and at em pretty early this morning heading the "BONNIE MARIETTA" back out to
sea. Thankfully the weather was cooperative allowing the traps to be easily
pulled and the catch yielded the daily quota making it a successful trip! A
successful trip always puts a big ole smile on Capt. Mark's face. We all love it
when he smiles because ....."when the Captain's happy, the crew is happy " Yea!
An interesting part of today's trip was when Capt. Mark had some
difficulty pulling up one of the traps. At first he couldn't figure out what was
going wrong, but when the trap neared the surface it became obvious that someone
else's gear was tangled up in it! As it turns out that gear had been missing for
a couple of weeks. Although the recovery of that gear was good news for the
fisherman who lost it, it made Capt. Mark's 6-hour day quickly turn into a
12-hour day! All in a days work but whew!
We will be featuring the Black Cod Capt. Mark caught in both the
Restaurant & Fish Market this weekend. Our kitchen Manager, Joel Lopez, does a
fabulous special that we call "Mahogany Black Cod" in the Restaurant and in the
Fish Market its one of the most popular smoked fish we sell! Come on by and try
some!
Have a great weekend!
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew
Thursday 16 August 2007
Hello,
Please accept our apologies for not getting out an email last
week. Those of you long time "Fish List" recipients know that from May 1st to
Sept 30th we send out weekly postings. While I was gone on my trip to
Washington, Capt. Mark had to wear both out hats around here, which prevented
him from getting to the e-mail. I guess I'll take that as a compliment knowing
(or at least thinking) he just can't do without me?? Ha ha ha !!!
Well, on the more serious side of things, what few King Salmon
being caught recently continue to be from Bodega and north with the main fleet
working the waters above Fort Bragg. We are fortunate to have a few outstanding
Morro Bay fishers still making a effort and are grateful to Capt. Arnoldi of the
"ROSALENA MARIE" who just yesterday delivered about 200 pounds of fresh Wild
California King Salmon to us here at Dockside! Although these fish are more
expensive than we like to see, we will be able to offer them into the weekend.
Capt. Mark also purchased a small amount of troll caught Silver Salmon out of
Alaska, not as robust as our Kings, but they are a still a nice Salmon and are
more reasonably priced.
Albacore fishing in Oregon has slowed but continues to remain
steady with most of the serious "freezer troller's" on scene. Nothing much to
report in local waters because there has been little effort due to all the NW
winds.
Appears my trip to Washington also put Capt. Mark a week or two
behind schedule with his Black Cod traps. Once again my apologies! Well now that
I am back he is ready to go but just waiting for a break in the wind. Today we
had gale winds (not my fault, I promise!) which kept him home, along with most
all other local fishers. Hopefully this time next week we will have some good
"catching" to report to you.
Drift Swordfish season opened today and we are excited to having
access to all the different pelagic species that it will bring. As this fishery
moves though the fall we look forward to purchasing and being able to offer
Swordfish, Opah, Thresher Shark, Blue fin Tuna, etc. This is always a fun time
of year because the species are only available locally for a few months.
We will keep you appraised as it all unfolds!
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew
Thursday 2 August
2007
20:15
Ahoy Mates!
Good Evening!
Just a short posting tonight, as I am up at 1:00 am for another
charter, and Bonnie is in Washington State, taking my daughters yellow lab to
his new home with her. Leah had moved there recently, and we had been
babysitting Beau (her lab) until she had settled in.
Salmon opener above Pt. Arena was reasonably good with scores up
to 60 fish at Shelter Cove. Shelter Cove is about 48 hours one way for the
Bonnie Marietta. Albacore fishing has slowed off the Oregon Coast but still
remains good with scores around 250 fish a day. However the weather has been
really windy and rough.
Good supplies of local lingcod, halibut, turbot, and sole to
name a few here at Dockside. Haven't gotten the Blackcod traps in the water yet
as the two charters this week have been a priority. This charter work for Cal
Poly has included vessel support for the calibration of a radio system that will
measure the speed and direction of ocean currents at up to 200 km away. Cal Poly
in cooperation with other universities are developing a network of stations
along the coast, and anyone will be able to access this information via the
Internet. Pretty Cool!
The bed is calling! Until next week!
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family &
Crew
Thursday 26 June
2007
Ahoy Mates!
As July comes to a close the Captain and I
hope your summer has been a great adventure for you and your family. Here at
Dockside we welcome the summer even though it seems to fly by way to fast!
OK here is the fishing scoop .........
What little bit of Salmon that are being caught is taking place from Bodega Bay
and north, but most of the commercial fleet are reporting slow fishing right
now. Thanks to Capt. Cunningham of Morro Bay Fish Co., we have been able to get
some of those Salmon because he sends a truck up there about once a week. Capt.
Cunningham also has the vessel "MILLENNIUM" and has been a regular producer for
us here at Dockside! There were a few Salmon caught here in front of home but
with the exception of a couple of legal sized ones, the vast majority caught
were well short of the 28 inches they need to be for a commercial fisher.
Albacore catching has also slowed down in San Diego, but Oregon continues to
report outstanding commercial catches. The small body of fish that were near the
weather buoy in Monterey Sea Canyon seems to have dried up too.
In the mean while Capt. Mark has been working
diligently on putting the finishing touches on his Blackcod traps and hopes to
have them in the water by midweek. Over the past years he has participated in
many different fisheries, but since we started our direct sales off the "BONNIE
MARIETTA" he has mainly concentrated on Salmon and Albacore. The past two
seasons lack of Albacore in our coastal waters and the heavily regulated Salmon
season has helped Capt.Mark make the decision to fish Black Cod and he is
looking forward to learning something new.
Between fishing and all the work he does here
at Dockside, Capt. Mark really enjoys the opportunity to do research charters.
As matter of fact he had a charter earlier this month and has another next week.
This next weeks charter is for Cal Poly and it has something to do with the
MPA's (marine protected areas). With the all the attention the Central Coast is
getting on this topic, we hope Capt. Mark has a successful charter that will
lead to future research work. I anticipate he will have a full report for us in
next weeks email!
Well here at Dockside Restaurant & Fish
Market we are happy with all the White Sea Bass Capt. Sutton has kept us
supplied with, along with Lingcod from Capt. Tobin and Rockfish from Capt.
Terra. Come on by and pick some up at the Fish Market or have a delicious meal
in the Restaurant as they will be featured in our daily specials!
Tonight Capt. Mark spoke with Capt. Evans of
the "LUCY L" who said he would be trying for Halibut again tomorrow. If you
recall Capt. Evans had some great Halibut fishing a couple of weeks ago but said
things slowed down because heavy NW winds prevented him from getting far enough
south of Avila. Lets all wish him a him a safe and productive journey tomorrow!?
Until next week......................
A safe and productive journey to you all too!
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family &
Crew
Thursday 19 June
2007
Good evening,
The salmon production that goes on in
California remains North of Point Reyes. Too far from Morro Bay for an attempt
at direct sales from the Bonnie Marietta.
Albacore scores still remain strong in the
Pacific Northwest,and south of San Diego, with scattered fish offshore
Monterrey. So as the summer wears on we hope the albacore that have eluded the
Central Coast's waters for the past couple of seasons, still plan on making a
stop here.
In the meanwhile to stay active with the
Bonnie Marietta, the Captain has received a shipment of Blackcod traps from
Astoria, and hopes to have gear in the water soon. Blackcod are readily
available in our waters, and he will be able to fish the early morning hours,
yet be here at Dockside later in the day, when we need him.
Blackcod, are not a member of the cod family,
but resemble a true cod in appearance. Often sold as Sablefish, or Butterfish,
they can attain weights approaching 40 pounds, but usually range from 5 to 10
pounds. Most of Captain Marks fish will be shipped, as we hope his production
will exceed what we can use here at both the restaurant, and fish market. As he
gets closer to putting the gear in the water we will talk more about just how it
is done, and what it takes.
Blackcod long prized by Asians, are beginning
to find a place with other consumers, although it takes special preparation
compared to other white fleshed fish. Here at Dockside it has become popular
freshly smoked at the market. And many have enjoyed it as a dinner special we
call Mahogany Blackcod. Marinated in a combination of miso, mirin, and sweet
sake, then roasted in a super hot oven.
Capt. Evans, continues to produce beautiful
local halibut, starry flounder, and turbot. Capt. Sutton, has kept the supply of
white sea bass strong, with the occasional Mako, Thesher, or Soupfin shark. All
slightly different in flavor and texture, but all equally wonderful. Of course
between Capt's Tobin, lingcod, and Capt. Dumong's, and Capt. Terra's rockfish we
have an assortment to keep most everyone happy.
Warm regards,
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family &
Crew
Thursday 12 July
2007
Good evening. Lots of good fishing news to
talk about this evening, but it won't include dockside sales off the "BONNIE
MARIETTA". We touched on the problem with the logistics of where the Salmon are
at this time, and it makes it very difficult to travel 30 hours one way, time
the weather just right, have the fish bite in enough volume to justify a return
run of 30 hours, conduct sales, and attempt to get back in step again with
another run. No excuses just the reality of what happens when you lose a month
or two to regulations, and have a northern shift of the fish. We will have
dockside sales again, but certain things are really out of our hands.
So in the mean time we continue to try and
have the very best fish available both at the Restaurant, and the Fish market.
The Salmon fishing from the Pt. Reyes to
Bodega Bay, has improved as the fleet had a week of good weather, and good
fishing. Capt. Arnoldi has kept us supplied with King Salmon, and they have been
appreciated.
Albacore fishing has been outstanding both
south of San Diego, and off the Oregon coast, but other than a little splash of
them a couple of weeks ago, nothing in our local waters yet.
The really great local news is that Capt.
Evans, our 85-year-old Halibut connection from Avila Beach has been very
blessed, with fish. After several months of rough ocean conditions and slow
fishing, the seas laid down and the Halibut cooperated the past couple of days.
To help ease the pain of no sales off the "BONNIE MARIETTA" we are going to do
something very special and make Capt. Evans fresh, local, and premium Halibut
fillets available for $9.95 a pound this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, at
Dockside Too Fish Market. Believe us when we tell you if you like local Halibut
we think you would have a hard time ever finding this kind of value when it
comes to these wonderful fish. The market hours are 10 to 8, Friday and
Saturday, and 10 to 6 on Sunday.
Of course you will find a nice selection of
other fish, including Lingcod, from Capt. Tobin, White Sea Bass, and Soup Fin
Shark from Capt. Sutton, and others.
Also look for features in the Restaurant,
using both Capt. Evan’s Halibut, and Capt. Arnoldi’s King Salmon.
We'll catch up with you again next Thursday,
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew
Thursday 5 July
2007
Greetings!
Capt. Mark limped home last week with a
wounded BONNIE MARIETTA" and immediately went about trying to resolve her fuel
problem. Seems that when we did a major retrofit on the "BONNIE MARIETTA" back
in 2002 (which included brand new fuel tanks, lines, filtration system etc.) a
hairline fracture had occurred in the fuel line that brings fuel to the engine
from the starboard tank. Over time this crack had been leaking small amounts of
air into the system, but the Capt. was always able to deal with it. Apparently
the crack finally severed the entire line and was only letting air pass, and no
fuel. Of course diesel engines don't run very well on air, thus the frustration
and problems occurred this past week. To add insult to the best of his trouble
shooting abilities, the cracked line was hidden inside a fitting so he couldn't
even see it! Such is the ongoing saga of keeping a commercial boat operating
safely! The Capt. likes to say "no problems, only solutions".
The the much anticipated opener up above
delivered vast amounts of NW winds but not a lot of catching. Looks like the
Salmon are at least a 30 hour one way steam for the "BONNIE MARIETTA" right now
which puts selling off the boat at jeopardy. Many of you long time Fish-List
members know that we have been suffering from a Northern shift of fish over the
years, that coupled with a shortened season and some bad timing makes our
approach to selling from the "BONNIE MARIETTA" extremely difficult. Very
disappointing!
How about some good news!? This morning Capt.
Mark got in his pickup (at 2:00 am) and drove up to Half Moon Bay where he
rendezvoused with another Morro Bay fisher, Capt. Arnoldi of the "ROSALENA
MARIE". Capt. Arnoldi had also gone north for the opener, and had put together
40 fish for his effort over the past 4 days. Although it was not anything near
what he was hoping for, he knew the catch would help here back in Morro Bay. So
by 10:30 the Capt. Mark arrived back here at Dockside with some wonderful Wild
California King Salmon. We apologize for the price being higher than we would
like for it to be. These elusive fish are available in the fish market for
$6.95/lb whole fish or $15.95/lb fillets and are really a nice product!
Sea ya again next Thursday
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew
Friday 29 June
2007
Ahoy Mates!
Well I'm running a bit behind schedule.... so
here is a Friday night update instead of Thursday cause I didn't get a chance to
send out the e-mail last night.
Capt. Mark left Morro Bay Wednesday morning
aboard the "BONNIE MARIETTA" heading north so that he can be in place for
Sunday's July 1st opener. Wednesday night he hit some rough weather around Pt.
Sur and ended up anchoring at Lopez for the night. Again on Thursday they
encountered more rough weather around Monterey Bay and spent the night just
outside of Santa Cruz. As of today the weather was more forgiving and he planed
on making it up to Drakes Bay where he would anchor for the night. If you 're
not familiar, Drakes Bay is in between San Francisco and Bodega Bay which is his
destination. Only a 30-36 hour trip from Morro Bay!
So far the trip north has had it ups and
downs. There have been more downs than ups as Capt. Mark experienced unexpected
problems in the engine room. On Wednesday night he had fuel problems which kept
him up the entire night and by Thursday morning the "BONNIE MARIETTA" was dead
in the waters just outside of Monterey. Well thank goodness for our mechanic,
Nick, who came to the rescue via cell phone! Nick was able to walk (or should I
say talk?) Capt. Mark through the mechanical stuff that was needed to get the
"BONNIE MARIETTA" back in action! Like most fishermen, Capt. Mark is and must be
a jack of all trades in order to survive out there! When your at sea you can't
just pick up the phone and call a tow truck whenever you break down!
Anyway's the latest scuttle butt on Salmon is
that the bulk of them have continued to move north during the past month. The
majority of the commercial fleet is either already up there or heading up there
for Sunday's opener. We will see how next week plays out and hope for the
best.....
In the meanwhile the Capt. and I wish you all
a happy Forth of July!
Bonnie, Capt. Mark Tognazzini, Family & Crew
Thursday 21 June
2007
Ahoy Mates!
By this time next week Capt Mark and the
"BONNIE MARIETTA" will be pushing north once again. After a month of Salmon
season closure north of Point Sur, the fleet is very anxious to get access back
out where the bulk of fish have been. Although the season has been open in our
local waters, the fish seemed to have stayed put up north just like in the past
several years. This is making it extremely difficult to conduct our off the boat
(direct marketing) sales happen! Some good news is that a few Albacore have
shown up southwest of Morro Bay, but unless the scattering of fish increases we
will keep focused on Salmon for now.
With the opening of White Sea Bass season
this past week, we are really happy to have a nice supply of this beautiful fish
from Capt. Sutton of the "AURELIA" who fishes out of Santa Barbara. The Sea Bass
yield a large white flaky, yet moist fillet, and we are featuring it in both the
Restaurant and Fish Market. Another nice bounty from Santa Barbara was some
fresh Thresher Shark which we will also be offering as a special "Shark & Chips"
or you can purchase fillets in the Fish Market. Capt. Tobin has continued to be
our Lingcod connection, and we received a nice selection of assorted rockfish
form Capt. Arnoldi and Capt DuMong.
Capt. Evans of the "LUCY L" has been waiting
for some Halibut to show up in the Avila Beach area as are we. In the mean time
if you want to watch something really neat tune in to the local PBS channel 2,
there has been a really great piece showing this 85 year old fisher trawling for
Halibut. He told us he thought it would show mostly on Thursdays and Saturdays
around 9:30 PM throughout the month of June. Anyhow it really gives you a great
idea of what our local trawling really is about. Once you see it you will get a
better feel about so much of the misinformation of the local trawl fleet.
Only one more week before Capt. Mark heads
back out to sea and I'm really going to miss him! . While he is on the beach he
really helps make things happen around here at Dockside! Of course I don't tell
him often enough, but I think we make a pretty good team!
Until next Thursday........
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew
Thursday 14 June
2007
Ahoy Mates!
A week of reasonable good weather and Capt Mark was out and
about scouting around. Good weather to fishermen doesn't necessarily mean what
it means to us landlubbers. To us good weather is clear and sunny skies, to
fishermen it really only means calm seas with little wind. They don't care if
its foggy, cloudy or rainy they just want calm seas.
He saw some good signs out there and even a few Salmon, but they
were either the wrong kind or to small. The Capt did catch a few Coho's Salmon
also known as Silvers and a few short King Salmon but had to toss them back.
They are not allowed to keep Silvers and the Kings were short of the required 27
inches.
Did you know sub legal Salmon are called "shakers" by commercial
fishermen? A "shaker" is exactly what it sounds like, too small to keep so it is
shook off the hook and back into the ocean thus being a "shaker"! Both the
commercial and recreational fleet fish with barbless hooks allowing a quick
release which requires no handling of the small fish, reducing mortality.
Capt Mark said he can tell the difference between a King Salmon
(Chinook) & Silver Salmon (Coho) like night and day and often knows which one it
is by the way it bites and fights. For me I would have to take a long hard look
at the two and would probably still get it wrong! Silvers have a greener back
and a lighter colored mouth than Kings. They range from about the Central Coast
of California up to Alaska.
Its been a very exciting week with lots of celebrations going
on. Here at Dockside we have several Grads and Dads! As matter of fact we have
three on our staff who graduated with the MBHS class of 2007 today!
Congratulations to Angelina McKee, Cameron Ryan and Patrick Cirone!
Dad's your day is Sunday and we hope it is filled with love,
laughter, lots of family, and that you enjoy every moment of it!
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family &
Crew
Thursday 7 May
2007
Ahoy and good evening to you!
Hope your June is off to a good start!
As of the 1st the northern portion of the
state closed for Commercial Salmon fishing while the recreational fleet still
has unlimited access up there. Reports indicate that the Salmon are becoming
more cooperative, that is when the winds let the sport boats on the ocean.
Meanwhile we eagerly await the July 1st re-opener above Point Sur so Capt. Mark
and the rest of the Commercial fleet can get back out there! While waiting,
Capt. Mark is planning to take another look around here this next week but we
can't expect much unless the fish have set. One never knows, so like a fisher,
he is optimistic about his chances.
The Salmon that Capt. O'Brien delivered to us
last week went quickly, and we were pleased to have been able to offer them to
you. Some of the other Capt's have been pursing other species, and as always we
are thankful for their efforts especially with all gale winds the past few days!
Capt. Tobin of the "PLEASURE" has continued to see that we have a fresh supply
of Lingcod. Capt. Cunningham brought us some Barracuda, and Yellowtail from
Southern California, and we have more Black Gill Red Rockfish caught by Capt.
Stickel of the "REGINA". Vermillion Rockfish from Capt. DuMong of the "KING
CODER", and Capt. Riley of the "LADY MAXINE" dropped off some local Halibut this
evening! Right now we don't have a lot of any one fish, but we do have a nice
variety, which should get us through the weekend. Oh, I almost forgot we also
have some fresh Petrale Sole, and fresh Alaskan Halibut Cheeks that we will be
featuring as specials in the Restaurant!
Good ole Capt. Mark was telling me about
something I thought you might find interesting .........
Over the past couple of months an Osprey has
taken up residence in Morro Bay and has decided one of the jig poles on the
"BONNIE MARIETTA" is where it wants to perch! If you are not familiar with a jig
pole, it is one of two poles that rise up into the air on either side of the
boat. Anyway this silly bird had decided to take up residency on top of a jig
pole on the "BONNIE MARIETTA". If your interested in seeing it, the best time
would be evenings when it is looking for it's evening meal. You'll probably find
it on the "BONNIE MARIETTA if not it may be on it's second home, a jig pole on
Capt. Cefalu's vessel "BARBARA MARIE" just to the south.
Did you know The Osprey is one of the largest
birds of prey in North America? It eats almost exclusively fish, and is one of
the most widespread birds in the world found on all continents except
Antarctica. The Osprey is a fish-eating specialist with live fish accounting for
about 99% of their diet.!
It always amazes me when Capt. Mark speaks of
what he witnesses daily. I should just kick him (or myself?) because he often
dismisses his experiences aboard the "BONNIE MARIETTA" as "not a big deal"! I
would never know all this fascinating information if I didn't pry! How often do
you overlook what someone important to you has elected to do for a living when
it has actually been a blessing!? Capt. Mark has witnessed and experienced stuff
that you and I will never, and he has been blessed! Of course the job has it's
ups and downs and rough spots, but the oceans have rewarded him with untold
wealth!
The Salmon season is still young, and we are
still anxiously looking forward to conducting our dockside sales off the "BONNIE
MARIETTA"! So we shall keep you updated until then!
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family &
Crew
Thursday 31 May
2007
Greetings Mates!
After all the wind we had this month, I
thought it was going to blow the sails right out of Capt. Mark! On his long trip
home from SF he stopped just south of Pt. Sur to take a long hard look at the
area in hopes for any signs of Salmon. Results were that from Pt. Sur and south
the water was clearer and colder which isn't good and didn't put any Salmon in
the fish hold of the "BONNIE MARIETTA". But from Pt. Sur and north there were
lots of whales and feed which is very good conditions for Salmon. As mentioned
in last weeks e-mail, the season for fishing Salmon in that area will be closed
starting tomorrow and remain closed for the entire month of June! Right now it
doesn't look like the bulk of Salmon will hit the coast just yet but doesn't
that just figure?!!
Although the overall fishing remained poor,
we are happy to know that some of the fleet did catch a few Salmon! One of the
lucky ones was Capt. O'Brien of the "AGUERO" and he will be delivering them to
us at the Fish Market in time for this weekend! Supplies of these Wild
California King Salmon will be limited and more expensive than we like to see,
nevertheless we are pleased to be able to offer them to you.
In addition to the Salmon we have been
receiving a lot of other great and locally caught fish thanks to Capt. Stickel
of the "REGINA" for some nice Black Gill Red Rockfish, Capt. Tobin of the
"PLEASURE" for a steady supply of Lingcod. Capt. DuMong of the "KING CODER" for
an assortment of Vermilion, Widow, Blue and Bocciaco Rockfish, Capt. Smith of
the "SUZY-Q" for Blackcod and last but not least Soupfin Shark provided by Capt.
Cunningham. Come on by and see what else is in the display case at the Fish
Market or what the "Fish of the Day" is in the Restaurant, were sure you will
find something to your liking!
As soon as the season reopens Capt. Mark and
the "BONNIE MARIETTA" will be back up in the areas that have been more
productive. Let's just hope the conditions remain good......... or better yet
lets hope they improve right here at home! Either way we are still optimistic
about the balance of the season.
Catch you again next week!
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family &
Crewheroes!
Thursday 24 May
2007
Ahoy Mates!
Not much has changed this week as compared to
last week. Capt. Mark and the "BONNIE MARIETTA" have been in San Francisco for
almost two weeks now waiting for a break in all this windy weather they've been
having. The Capt. said either he is getting older or it's a much windier spring
than usual.
Speaking of getting older, yesterday was
Capt. Mark's 53 rd birthday, so he decided to catch the Amtrak bus to come home
and celebrate. We were all thrilled to have him home and had a nice family get
together here at Dockside last night. Just as we lit the candles there was a
power outage in Morro Bay, good thing we had 53 candles, ha ha ha !!!!
Twas a pretty short lived visit because first
thing today, he caught another bus back up to the "Windy City". The long bus
ride back up there was all he needed to decide that tonight was the night to get
a move on. Soon as he got back aboard the "BONNIE MARIETTA" he untied her and
left port. At 7:00 pm tonight, he called to say that he was just passing under
the Golden Gate Bridge.
Although the restrictions are lighter than
last year, the areas that contain the most fish will be closing on May 31st.
This only gives the Capt. 5 or 6 days to look around out there, so cross your
fingers and hope for some good weather. The entire month of June we are only
allowed to fish Pt. Sur and south, which so far has not been productive. We'll
remain optimistic and hope the Salmon don't know about this restriction and
follow us south!
The Capt. and I apologize for not having Wild
California King Salmon available in the Fish Market at the moment, but wants you
to know that what fish we do have is absolutely primo. Some samples include
fresh local Rockfish caught by Capt. Smith of the "SUZY-Q" , live Dungeness Crab
caught by Capts. French of the "NADINE" and fresh Petrale Sole from Pacific
North West.
Have a safe and blessed Memorial Day weekend,
never forget the fallen heroes!
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, family &
crew
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Ahoy There!
Wind, wind and more wind is pretty much how
to sum up this week. After leaving local waters last week, Capt. Mark and the
"BONNIE MARIETTA" made it up north just in time to get in on some of the
catching before the wind blew up. Right now he is tied up at Pier #45 in San
Francisco and hoping for a break in the weather so he can get back out there.
Although a long way from home he is in good company as several other fishermen
from Morro Bay are up there too. As matter of fact the Capt. is docked right
across from Capt. Maharry of the "Mary F" and Capt. Blue of the "Morning Light".
Prior to being blown into port the Capt.
reports having seen hundreds of Humpback Whales putting on quite a performance.
He said they were so close to the boat that he could not only feel but smell
their breath, which he described as smelling like "old shrimp"! For those of you
who have not heard, the bay area news has been reporting that a couple of
Humpback Whales that made their way up the Sacramento River. According to Capt.
Mark, "as the crow flies" reports indicate those whales would be about 90 miles
from the Pacific Ocean. Hopefully with some luck and a lot of coaxing they will
make their way back out to sea without much further ado!
Besides the whales Capt. reported having
interaction with some Salmon Sharks "Lamna ditropis". They are rarely seen
because they are usually in epipelagic waters and I can only best describe them
as a smaller version of the Great White Shark. Nevertheless they are a nuisance
because of the amount of fish and gear they damage. Speaking of a nuisance, the
Salmon Sharks don't even hold a candle to the problems sea lions continue to
create for our fishermen!
Despite all these obstacles Capt. Mark did
catch some Salmon, just not enough to warrant the travel distance, fuel and time
to bring them back home. So I drove up to the "Windy City" and brought back
enough of Capt. Mark's Wild California King Salmon to get us through the
weekend. Take advantage of some of this fabulous fish available at the Fish
Market for $14.95 / lb fillets or in one of our Specials here at the Restaurant.
Until Next Thursday,
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew
Thursday 10 May 2007
Ahoy Mates!
I just got off the phone with Capt Mark and
have the latest information to share with you............
During the past couple of days he has been
taking a long hard look in our local waters between Morro Bay and Port San Luis,
and although weather and sea conditions have been favorable (with lots of dark
water and literally tons of sardines, which the King Salmon adore) there just
isn't the volume of fish for him to say in the area any longer. He did return to
port late yesterday, but only long enough to unload his catch, get some food and
hug the babies (our 2 dogs, Korea & Montana) then headed back out to sea. Oh
yea, I think I got a hug or two somewhere in there! ha ha!
As most of you know, but for those of you who
do not, it takes at least 500 lbs before we can even begin to think about
selling off the boat. So, and unfortunately, we will not be conducting our
dockside sales off the "BONNIE MARIETTA" this weekend, like we had hoped.
Capt Mark said it sounds as though the season
is starting to look promising up north, around Half Moon Bay, as reports of
better production have been coming in during the past couple of days. So after
that short stop home yesterday, he began the long journey north in search of
greener pastures.
Last night he made it as far as San Simeon
and spent the night anchoring in San Simeon Bay. He was approaching Monterey Bay
when I spoke with him last and was in some pretty rough weather. I shan't use
his words, instead I'll translate....he is taking a whoop'n out there with lots
spray and green water over the bow!!! His destination for tonight is Santa Cruz,
and I'm sure he'll be pretty worn out by the time he gets there. In the morning,
he will continue to push in a northerly direction looking for better production,
so we can eventually do, what both you and we love best, direct sales!
Right now the supply of Salmon arriving on
the docks in California is limited and continues to necessitate a higher price
than we'd like to see.
Even though we will not be selling Salmon off
the boat this weekend, the Capt and I would like to acknowledge "Mother's Day"
by offering his Fresh Wild California King Salmon fillets at a reduced price of
$12.95/lb (currently $14.95/lb). So come on by the Fish Market this weekend and
take advantage our offer. We're pretty sure you won't be able to purchase local
Wild King Salmon for less anywhere else!
Other fresh and locally caught fish is
available in the Fish Market, and we always like to promote these fishermen. To
mention a few, we have the fresh Vermillion Rockfish caught by Capt DuMong of
the "King Coder", fresh Lingcod caught by Capt Tobin of the "Pleasure" and Capt
Appel of the "Valco", Live Dungeness Crab from Capts. John & Jeff French of the
"Nadine" and Live Morro Bay Oysters provided by Chuck Ramos of Williams' Shell
Fish. By popular demand, we have received more Halibut Cheeks. All these and
more will be featured in both the Fish Market & Restaurant.
In closing .............
I am excited to announce that we will be opening the Restaurant early this
Sunday in celebration of Mother's Day! Capt Mark and I invite you to join us for
Breakfast / Brunch, we think you will enjoy the special menu put together by
Chef Joel Lopez, our Kitchen Manager, and Nancy Garcia, our GM. Please feel free
to call ahead for reservations, or just drop on by. Breakfast will be available
from 9:30 am until 12:00 noon. Our normal hours remain the same, Lunch from 11-4
and Dinner 5-8.
To all you fabulous Mothers out there, Happy
Mothers Day!
Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, family & crew
Friday 4 May 2007
Hello loyal customers:
Once again, I want to apologize for the error of our first
e-mail of this salmon season where some e-mail addresses were visible for all to
see. It was an accident. I can only assure you that it was an error on my part.
We did not sell your e-mail address. We would never have shared your e-mail
address with anyone intentionally. Let me assure you that we had every intention
of streamlining our email process, but it backfired on us.
It has come to our attention that Giovanni's Fish Market has
hijacked that e-mail and is sending out solicitation e-mails. Only a portion of
our fish list was captured, so some of you will be spared this unsolicited spam.
I repeat, we did not sell our list, or knowingly allow anyone access to it.
Giovanni's took advantage of our error. The lack of professionalism Giovanni's
is demonstrating is appalling to us and is unethical.
For those of you that have been long time fish list recipients,
you will remember that Giovanni's fought our consumer direct sales vigorously.
Due to Giovanni's complaints we appeared before the SLO County Board of
Supervisors and received their blessings. Lucky for us and our customers, the
Supervisors realized the value and safety in receiving a fish directly from the
fisherman who caught them.
The Captain and I, as well, as our entire families will continue
to be advocates for the fishing community. We will always be open and honest
with our customers and attempt to bring you the best quality seafood through our
sales off the BONNIE MARIETTA, in the Restaurant and through our Fish Market.
Please feel free to contact Giovanni's directly. In fact, if you
are as outraged as we are, I hope you will do so. Or if you would like to
respond to Giovanni's through us, drop us an e-mail and we will relay your
message for you.
Your response to this violation of your privacy has been
overwhelming. We are humbled by your continued patronage.
Warmest Regards,
Bonnie, Capt. Mark, Family & Crew
Thursday 3 May 2007
Ahoy Mates!
For those of you who received the e-mail that I sent out on
Tuesday, which had many operator errors, my sincerest apologies. We are
currently in the transition period of weaning off of AOL (finally!) and on to
something more efficient.
Now let’s move onto the good stuff!
Our Commercial Salmon Season began Tuesday, May 1st, and Capt.
Mark was up and at ‘em around 0400 hrs, leaving port aboard the “BONNIE
MARIETTA” shortly there after. Along with the rest of the world, and as normal,
I was still sound asleep, zzzzzzz!
Earlier this week, Captain Mark reported that some fish were
being caught in front of Morro Bay & Avila Beach. Scores were 0 to 10 fish with
an average of less than 5, making it a “slow opener” for the 2007 season. Now,
on the brighter side of things, they have all been a pretty good grade.
The wind has a bit harsh on the ocean during the past couple of
days, making fishing conditions hard to work in, and who knows what the upcoming
days will bring?
Captain Mark ended opening day (Tuesday, May 1st) anchoring up
in Port San Luis, and although I'm sure he was tempted to feast on one of the
first caught Wild California King Salmon, he settled for Rockfish and rice for
dinner. Ha ha ha… just thought I'd share that with y’all!
Capt. Mark returned home late this afternoon, however, his catch
isn't enough to conduct dockside sales off the “BONNIE MARIETTA”, like we all
have been waiting for. However, we do, however, have enough first of the season
Wild California King Salmon to offer here at “Dockside Too”, the Fish Market,
which is currently available for $14.95 a pound.
I'll continue to update you every Thursday with our weekly
e-mail updates, and in the meantime, remain busy here at the Restaurant and Fish
Market holding down the fort while the Capt is out at sea!
Capt. Mark, Bonnie, family & crew
Tuesday 1 May 2007
Ahoy Mates!
It’s that time of year again, the first day of our Commercial
Salmon Season! As you might imagine, Captain Mark was up and at ‘em this morning
around 0400 hrs and left port shortly there after aboard the “BONNIE MARIETTA”.
Of course, I was still asleep along with the rest of the world, zzzzzz!
Earlier today Captain Mark reported that some fish were being
caught in front of Morro Bay & Avila Beach. Scores ranged between 0 to 10 fish
with an average of less than 5, making it a “slow opener” for the 2007 season.
On the brighter side of things they have all been a pretty good grade so far..
The wind was a bit harsh on the ocean today, making fishing
conditions harder to work in, and weather reports don’t indicate that it will be
backing off for several days yet.
Captain Mark ended his day anchoring up in Port San Luis and I’m
sure he was tempted to feast on one of the first caught Wild California King
Salmon, but he settled for Rockfish and rice for dinner instead ha! Just thought
I’d share that with y’all!
Looks like we are in for more limitations on the fishing again
this year, from what I understand, its pretty much same as last year.
Nevertheless, we remain optimistic and excited about conducting dockside sales
off the “BONNIE MARIETTA”. Meanwhile, I’ll be busy here at the Restaurant and
Fish Market holding down the fort while the Capt is at sea!
I am looking forward to keeping you all updated through our
weekly e-mails every Thursday, beginning May 3rd.
Capt. Mark, Bonnie, family & crew
Thursday 8 March 2007
Ahoy Folks,
Some bountiful news from the Pacific! After being without live
Dungeness Crabs for a couple of weeks, Capt. Cefalu of the “Barbara Marie”
delivered some more Dungeness Crabs to us here at Dockside late yesterday
afternoon.
As the crab production winds down in California especially here
locally, the price to the fishermen increases as does the price to you the
consumer. This always makes us cringe as both Capt. Mark and I do everything we
can to keep premium local seafood reasonable. You can still get whole crab
either cooked or live at the Fish Market for only $14.00 each, which equals
approximately $7.00 lb for these 2 lb average crabs. Although the season lasts
till July the local crabbers are "Stacking Out" because of low production and
more than likely this will be our last delivery for the season so when they are
gone they are gone.
Next weekend the weekend of March 16th, 17th and 18th, we will
have our final Crab Fest here at the Restaurant. Starting at lunch on Friday the
16th and continuing through dinner on Sunday the 18th, you will be able to have
a cooked, cleaned, cracked and chilled Dungeness Crab dinner (or lunch) with all
the fixings for only $21.75. Please call ahead with your reservation 772-8100.
A little side note for those of you who celebrate St. Patrick’s
Day, we will also be serving Chef Joel’s fabulous corned beef and cabbage on
Saturday the 17th!
More good news is that Capt. Mintz of the “D.J.” (who caught all
the beautiful White Sea Bass and Soupfin Shark) is out and about pursuing local
rockfish. Capt Mark has been communicating with him on a daily basis and
tomorrow morning Friday the 9th they will be unloading their catch of Bank
Rockfish which we will be featuring in both the Restaurant and the Fish Market.
They will be unloading right off of the Fishermen’s Wharf which is alongside the
Restaurant, so come on by and watch the activity it’s really quite interesting!
Did you now that Bank Rockfish are usually caught outside 80
fathoms of water and range from Washington to Baja California. They are rarely
caught by recreational fishermen because of the depth they live in. Here along
the Central Coast their are commonly known as Red Widow, they are a dusty light
red to gray in color and have black spots on their back and dorsal fin. Bank
Rockfish are one of about 60 different varieties of rockfish that are often
referred to as Red Snapper but there is no truth in that name. We like to call
them by what they really are.
Bank Rockfish is a very delightful firm white flesh fish with a
tremendous shelf life. You can pick up some of these fillets for $6.95 lb in the
Fish Market and we will also be featuring it in the restaurant as fish of the
day or in our daily specials.
Some early Salmon news includes a more liberal season this year
than last year. When you look at what happened to us last year not being able to
fish any of June or July above Pt. Sur, a more liberal season may still be
fairly restrictive. Capt. Mark and I are anxious to conduct our dockside sales
off the boat and remain optimistic.
Thursday 15 Feburary 2007
Ahoy Mates!
Capt. Mark and the "Bonnie Marietta" made it home safely from
his research charter down in Santa Barbara, and with many interesting stories
about the days spent on the sea. One day in particular while they were operating
the ROV (remotely operated vehicle) they came upon a spectacular sunken boat!
The ROV is flown by remote control and in the wheelhouse of the "Bonnie
Marietta" they received a video feed which is displayed on a monitor. The Capt
and research team has a fish's eye view of everything the ROV saw. While
investigating this wreck site, which looked as if the vessel was actually blown
apart, they came across a corner fitting porcelain sink that was perfectly
intact with without a scratch on it! In addition Capt Mark spoke of numerous
brass port holes and such. He also said that the wreckage field had become a
beautiful habitat that supported hundreds of different rockfish. Oh and by the
way he won't tell me where it was other than it was incorrectly located on the
nautical charts, hummmm? Catch Capt. Mark around the restaurant or fish market
and ask him more about the charter if you are interested it is really quite
fascinating to hear.
Now for some great fish news........
We received a call from Capt. Mintz of the "DJ" yesterday advising us he was
inbound with some of the first of the season White Sea Bass. Capt. Mark quickly
made arrangements for Dockside to receive the entire catch and we are really
excited to have these spectacular fish as well as some Soupfin Shark. We will be
offering them here in the restaurant as our daily specials or you can purchase
Sea Bass fillets in the fish market for $8.75/ LB. If you want to purchase a
whole fish for $4.95/ LB and save a little money, we will fillet it free of
charge just like we do on the "Bonnie Marietta". Do you remember back when
Soupfin was often used as fish for some fish & chips? Well we are going to be
serving a special 5-piece Soupfin Fish & Chips for $5.95 this week at both the
restaurant and fish market. Or take some home and prepare yourself at a price
you'll appreciate of $2.95/LB fillets.
If you haven't made it to the fish market yet come on by, we are dog friendly
and have live music on Saturday's & Sundays. By the way don't forget to try our
fantastic Pacific oysters BBQ'd & swimming in garlic butter for only $1.00 each
yum yum!
Sea you soon,
Capt. Mark & Bonie Tognazzini, family & crew
F/V "BONNIE MARIETTA"
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