When Santa asked Capt. Mark what he wanted for Christmas, he replied ... "Halibut and Dungeness Crabs for everyone!" Well, it seems as though the Capt's wish has been granted early here at Dockside.

We received another delivery of live Dungeness Crabs this week so we are currently taking orders for the Holidays. Although we have plenty right now, they will not last long. If you would like to order a Crab or two for Christmas, please call us and reserve them while supplies last. We will be offering them as a Christmas Special at the Fish Market for only $5.99 per pound live, or $6.99 per pound cooked, cleaned and cracked!

Santa must have also told Capt. Evans what Capt. Mark wanted for Christmas, because his success this week has provided Dockside with lots of fresh local Halibut! So, Capt. Evans Halibut will be another special available in the Fish Market at $10.95 per pound for fillets. Now if Halibut sounds good but you would rather have us prepare it, Chef Joel will be featuring it as specials in the Restaurant too.

In celebration of the Holiday season, Dockside will be featuring these two Christmas Specials starting tomorrow Saturday 12-19-09 and continuing through Thursday 12-24-09.

We will be closing early on Christmas Eve, and closed Christmas Day, then resuming normal hours again on Saturday 12-16-09.

Merry Christmas from Capt. Mark, Miss Bonnie, Marc, Leah, Wilmar and Henrietta Tognazzini & the entire Dockside Crew. We all look forward to celebrating the Holidays with you!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew
F/V "Bonnie Marietta"

Thursday 03 December 2009

Crab, crab, and more crab. Yes, it’s true, we have brought in more live Dungeness crab this week here at Dockside. The response from last week was so good that we have decided to do it again! Dungeness crab will be available for $6.99 per pound live, or $7.99 per pound cooked, cleaned and cracked at the Fish Market. We will also be featuring a variety of tasty crab specials in the Restaurant. We hope to have supplies available throughout the next few weeks however, as Christmas approaches please be sure to call and check availability.

Halibut fishing has picked up here along the Central Coast. Captain Evans has stuck with it and had a great week of fishing, keeping us in supply with fresh local Halibut. His Halibut is always a favorite in the Restaurant and Chef Joel will be creating some mouthwatering dishes with it throughout the weekend. If you would rather take it home and prepare it yourself, we will be featuring this weekend, Friday December 3rd through Sunday December 6th at $12.95 per pound in the Fish Market.

Like always, we have a large selection of other fresh fish with enough choices to suit just about anyone. We hope you get a chance to stop in and see us this holiday season and are able to enjoy some good company and good food here at Dockside.

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Wednesday 25 November 2009

Happy Holidays from Dockside,

It seems like it’s that time of year again and the holiday season has drifted in on us without warning. If you are looking to add fresh seafood to your holiday menu then we may have just the thing for you.

For those of you who have been patiently waiting for Dungeness Crab, the wait is over! We received our first catch of the season and will be featuring them live at $6.99 per pound, or cooked, cleaned and cracked for $7.99 per pound in the Fish Market. Chef Joel will also be featuring them the as specials in the Restaurant.

Captain Evans of the “Lucy L,” waited for the winds to cease and finally brought in another good catch of fresh local Halibut. We will be offering his catch for $15.95 per pound in the Fish Market and as specials in our Restaurant while supplies last.

Finally Capt. Cunningham of the “Tommy Lynn,” has also taken advantage of a few days of good weather and had a successful Blackcod trip. His Blackcod will be available in the fish market for $8.95 per pound.

The entire crew here at Dockside would like to wish you and your family a happy holiday season and hope you surround yourselves with good company and good food. We will be closed for Thanksgiving but will be open bright and early the following day and hope to see you here!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 05 November 2009

Ahoy Mates!

Windy weather and big swells kept most of the local fleet tied up last week but a break in the weather this week has allowed many captains to return to the fishing grounds and provide us with their harvest.

Capt. Wainscott of the "South Bay" returned with a nice catch of Petrale Sole and Bank Rockfish. His Petrale Sole continues to be “Fish of the Day” in the Restaurant and this weekend featured at an amazing $7.95 per pound for fillets in the Fish Market.

Capt. Bateman of the "Sheliagh B". also had an opportunity to return to the fishing grounds and had some success as well. His catches of Opah and Thresher Shark were another nice addition. It is possible that they may be some of the last of the season, as our local water temperatures and conditions change, so does the distribution of both Opah and Thresher Sharks. Both species move with these seasonally changing conditions and follow the feed and warmer waters elsewhere. So along with Petrale Sole at $7.95 per pound we will be offering Opah for $6.95 per pound and Thresher Shark for $ 5.95 per pound in the Fish Market. You will find these spectacular values, and a great opportunity to get your fish fix. So remember starting Friday, November 6th, and continuing though Sunday, November 8th, Petrale fillets $7.95 a pound, Opah fillets $6.95, and Thresher Shark fillets $5.95 a pound.

One final note: We would like to remember fisherman David Kubiak who tragically lost his life this past week while fishing spot prawns. Fishing continues to be one of the most fulfilling yet dangerous jobs in the world. Recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor shows the fatality rate in the average workplace at 3.7 deaths per 100,000 workers, while the commercial fishing fatality rate is 112 deaths per 100,000 workers. His family will be in our prayers!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Saturday 15 October 2009

Ahoy Mates,

As I wrote last week, we typically don't post weekly updates this time of year. However, we are always pleased to keep you informed when local skippers have been successful and tell you what bounties they provide. The stormy weather conditions kept most of our local fleet in harbor during the past several days. Today, both Capt. Evans of the "Lucy L" and Capt. Snyder of the "Saturina" had great Halibut fishing and we are pleased to be able to supply their catch to you.

Starting tomorrow, Friday 10/16/09 and continuing through Sunday 10/18/09 (or while supplies last) we will be offering their fresh Halibut fillets for $9.95 per pound in the Fish Market. Capt. Mark and I always enjoy providing such values any chance we get. You will also find Starry Flounder and White Sea Bass from these two fishermen.

In addition, we will have Swordfish for $9.95 per pound thanks to Capt. Bateman of the "Sheelagh B". His willingness to battle the wind, the day that it blew so hard, paid off and he also provided us with Bluefin Tuna, Opah, and a very limited supply of Louvar.

Last but not least thanks to Capt. Buompensiero of the "Commander" for his Thresher Shark, which has been a hit this week in the Fish Market as well as one of our featured "Fish of the Day" in the Restaurant.

Rain or shine (hopefully more rain), we will only update you if we catch a Mermaid! Ha ha!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Saturday 10 October 2009

Ahoy Mates,

Just a bit late in posting our weekly update, but a busy week here putting a close on the Harbor Festival for another year, and Capt. Mark in Port San Luis with the Bonnie Marietta doing some more charter work. I'll touch more on that later...

There seems to still be an odd Albacore being caught, but the flash we had a couple of weeks ago was short lived, and never really developed. Although an optimistic fisherman, Capt. Mark was reserved about this spot of fish showing up so late in the year. As we have written, most traditional Albacore years include some catching starting in late July building though September and then slowing down as cooler waters return. The good news is the local commercial boats who like to travel to Oregon, had a fine season this year.

A slow start this past week for local fish, but the catching has improved and both the case in the Fish Market, and the specials here in the Restaurant have strengthened. Capt. Evans, and Capt. Snyder of Port San Luis had nice landings yesterday of Halibut, Starry Flounder, Turbot and Sand Sole. Capt. Tobin and Capt. Terra delivered Lingcod, and some assorted rockfish. Capt. Leage added his Blackcod to the mix, and finally Capt. Rose's Blackgill Rockfish were a pleasant surprise.

The charter work with the Bonnie Marietta this past work, you might interesting and informative. Reson with offices in Goleta asked Capt. Mark to provide support services. If you go to www.reson.com click on the picture that says "defense and security" and then click on the "waterside security" link and you will find an interesting video showing the system Capt. Mark was working with. Basically it included a fixed sonar that was used to detect divers as they approach an area, and then the Bonnie Marietta was used to move in closer with another sonar system to get a closer look at the diver. Capt. Mark said you could see the outline of the diver with his fins kicking and all. You can speculate as to the purposes of such a system, and the Bonnie Marietta even had some "clients" of such technology on the boat getting a first hand view of it's potential!?

Now that we are into October it's time for us to remind you that our weekly posting usually end after September 30th each year. Never fear we will continue to send occasional e-mail updates throughout the winter with note worthy or interesting things about the Bonnie Marietta, Dockside, and Dockside Too. Our weekly posting will once again resume May 1st 2010!

Thank you for your continued patronage!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 01 October 2009

Ahoy Mates!

Albacore fishing this week pretty much consisted of more fishing than catching. Earlier in the week, when the ocean was flat, scores ranged from 10 to 15, then as the week progressed it dropped to less than 5 per boat. The recent flash of Albacore got more hype than it deserved, which is typical as fishers can get excited and lose perspective. A standard commercial Albacore year here on the central coast usually begins mid to late July, and gets better until tapering off in late September. Just remember when it comes to fishing, there are no guarantees!

On a different note...

Harbor Festival is already upon us, this coming weekend Sat 10-3-09 and Sun 10-4-09! Capt. Mark and I would just like to remind you that we will be open as usual throughout the weekend with our regular hours starting at 10:00 am in the Fish Market continuing till 9:00 pm in the Restaurant. Unfortunately parking is only available until Friday night, when you can still park either in front of or behind the Restaurant. During the Harbor Festival we will not be able to offer parking, however our customers may enter for free. Just go to the "Volunteer Gate" and let them know you are coming to Dockside.

A tasty tidbit o' info.....

In addition to our regular menu this weekend, we will have a special "Harbor Festival" menu consisting of some fresh and local seafood samplers (i.e. Bluefin, Opah, Albacore, Swordfish) for only $3.00 each! Additionally we will be featuring an Appetizer special menu for $3.00 (i.e. Clam Strips, Popcorn Shrimp, Calamari, Mexican Shrimp Cocktail and Clam Chowder Bread Bowls). As usual we will have plenty of Pacific Oysters which you may have BBQ'd and drizzled with garlic butter, or raw on the 1/2 shell for $1.50 each. Beer (domestic, premium & import) $2.50 each and house wine (Meridian) available for $3.50/glass.

On a last note....

We will also have live music on the patio Sat & Sun from 12:00pm to 8:00pm featuring Tennessee Jimmy Harrell, Eric Brittain, and Good Medicine! It will be lots of fun and Capt. Mark hopes you will join us and enjoy some good food, drinks and music!

The only thing left is to pray for some good weather!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 24 September 2009

Ahoy Mates,

This week has brought us another splash of Albacore but the monsoon has yet to arrive. With limited production, poor weather conditions, and finicky fish preferring light tackle, there hasn't been much commercial effort. Capt. Nailen of the “Seeker,” has been having some luck and has supplied us with a few fish however; they have been swimming right out of the Fish Market about as fast as he has been able to catch them! In addition to Albacore he has also provided us with some beautiful Bluefin Tuna and even an occasional Skipjack Tuna.

Did you know...

that the most expensive fish ever sold was a Bluefin Tuna weighing 444 pounds? The fish sold for an amazing $173,600.00 at a fish auction in Tokyo, Japan. For those of you who appreciate the highest quality Tuna, limited supplies of Bluefin will be available this weekend. We hope to see the weather soon lie down and production increase so that we can offer more of the finest and freshest Tuna for those of you who haven't had the chance to experience it this season.

Although Albacore production has been limited, other fisheries have been steady or even on the upswing. Capt. Evans of the “Lucy L,” has had another outstanding week of fishing. He has provided us with enough fresh Halibut so that we can offer them to you at $9.95 per pound. This price will be for this weekend only so if you are in the mood for some Halibut at significant savings, come see us this weekend. In addition to Halibut, Lingcod fishing has also seemed to be going well for a few fishermen here on the Central coast. Both Capt. Tobin of the “Pleasure,” and Capt. Eaton of the “Curly,” have had some outstanding Lingcod catches. And who can forget Capt. Rose of the “Nikki J,” who has again been fortunate with wonderful trips of both Blackcod and Black Gill Red Rockfish, which will both be available at the fish market as well as in the restaurant.

Have a great weekend!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 17 September 2009

Ahoy Mates!

We have local Albacore news to share with you this week! Capt. Nailen of the "Seeker" along with a few other boats located what may be the first commercially viable amount of local Albacore. Capt. Nailen caught approximately 500 lbs of Albacore and then the weather blew up, forcing all efforts off the the fishing grounds! We have been anxiously awaiting for the ocean conditions to improve to determine if these fish were just a flash in the pan or are possibly the beginning of a late season here on the central coast. We are in hopes that by next week's e-mail update we will be reporting back to you with good news on the availability of reasonably priced whole Albacore either from the "Bonnie Marietta" or here at the Fish Market.

The deteriorating ocean conditions also pushed several of the larger drift Swordfish boats back to port, one of which was Capt. Bateman of the "Shellagh B." Capt. Mark promptly spoke with Capt. Bateman and secured some great seasonal fish not always available here at Dockside. So staring this Friday, September 18th through Sunday, September 20th, while supplies last the following special offerings will be available!

Those of you who know about Louvar will be happy to know we will have fillets for only $16.95 lb. This is a special fish, few have had the pleasure of experiencing. You will not want to pass up this great value. Louvar is mild, moist, flaky, and in my opinion better than the best halibut you ever had! Along with the Louvar we also took delivery of Opah and Bluefin Tuna. Fillets from both of these fish will be available at $8.95/lb ! Wow -- another great value! In addition to these seasonal fish we continue to have a strong supply of other local (and not local) seafood. Morro Bay Fish Co. provided us with a harpooned Swordfish from southern California. Capt. Tobin of the "Pleasure" and Capt. Dyck of the "No Name II" kept our Lingcod connection alive and well. Capt. Evans and Capt. Snyder continue to supply us with local Halibut and Starry Flounder, while Capt. Rose and Capt. Wainscott provided us with an assortment of Rockfish and Black Cod.

Did you know ...

Louvar and Opah are found in temperate and tropical oceans throughout the world? Louvar feed on jelly fish and other soft bodied planktonic animals, while Opah feed on variety of small fish, shrimp and squid.

Pacific Bluefin Tuna are some of the fastest fish in the ocean? They have been clocked in excess of 30 mph. Such a fast swimming predatory fish finds an abundance of food in the form of squid, sardines, anchovies etc. They spawn in the western pacific, migrate over 6,000 nautical miles to the eastern pacific and eventually return to their birth waters to spawn again!

Glad I'm not a Tuna!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 10 September 2009

Ahoy Mates!

What a terrific Labor Day weekend it was. Hope you all had as much fun as we did here at Dockside!

Speaking of terrific, Capt. Evans of the "Lucy-L" had another great week of fishing. His catch this week included Halibut, Starry Flounder and Turbot Sole! Of course we can't help but share his good fortune. Once again we are able to offer these Halibut to you at an outstanding price. Starting tomorrow, Friday 9-11-09, and continuing through the weekend (or as supplies last) we will be offering Halibut fillets at a special price of $9.95 lb in the Fish Market! There are other captain's who provided us with fresh locally caught fish this week and we would like to share their good fortune too. Capt. Van Wagner of the "Pure Adrenaline" and Capt. Nailen of the "Seeker," both located Albacore about 90 miles SW of Morro Bay. We are thrilled to have these Albacore and will also be featuring them all weekend for the outstanding price of $7.95 lb fillets or $3.00 lb whole fish! In addition Capt. Cunningham of the "Tommy Lynn" delivered Black Cod and Black Gill Red Rockfish, and we have a nice supply of Lingcod provided by Capt.'s Kann, Tobin and Eaton. Capt. Wainscott of the "South Bay" is expected back in port by Friday or Saturday with more Bank Rockfish and Petrale Sole! Today our weekly trucked in delivery of seafood supplied by Jim Mauney of "Harbor Trading" arrived with a nice selection of Coho Salmon, Halibut Cheeks and Yellow Tail! All in all we have lots of delicious options from the ocean to offer you here at Dockside. Wow it kind of feels like we hit a home run this week! Come on by and see what all the players produced.

Did you know.....

Only every once in a while Capt. Mark and I get a day off? As much as we both love being at Dockside, days off are not often enough and way too far apart so we pretty much have to sneak out of here to get them! Ha ha! Nevertheless late Monday night we grabbed Korea & Montanna and all tippy-toed out the back door of Dockside and snuck aboard the "Bonnie Marietta". Capt. Mark set course for Avila Beach and within about 3 hours we arrived. I'd like to say the trip down there was wonderful, but Korea and I were pretty much down and out (no sea-legs ... ugh!) of course Capt. Mark and Montana thought we were pretty funny! When I awoke Tuesday morning I couldn't believe how glorious the weather was and what a perfect spot he chose to anchor up! By the time I got my first cup of coffee I noticed we were almost completely surrounded by sea birds! Seriously there were tens of thousands of birds. As I sipped on my coffee I thought I was still dreaming and in Alfred Hitchcock's movie "The Birds". Capt. Mark told me the birds were known as Shearwaters. As I sat in the morning sun, watching and listening to them, they reminded me of two things. First they sounded like children playing on a playground, then as they flew by they sounded like thousands of rain drops on a stormy day.

Anyhow we spent the next couple of nights enjoying our time away, but this morning it was time to pick up anchor and return to Morro Bay. Nice to be back but I can't wait until we get to escape again!

Hope your time off is as relaxing and rewarding!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 3 September 2009

Ahoy Mates,

The lack of Albacore here on our coast continues to depress Capt. Mark, and when Capt. Mark isn't happy Miss Bonnie has to look for ways to cheer him up. So last night as we sat on the patio at the Fish Market we watched a beautiful glowing sunset in the west, and then a spectator gleaming moon rise to the east. It was lovely having the patio to ourselves with just our labs Korea and Montana to keep us company. Those of us that are fortunate enough to live here on the coast should make every effort to breath in the cool ocean breezes. It is so relaxing and rejuvenating making us understand why so many of our family and friends love coming here to visit.

Somewhat breezy winds on the ocean early this week but yesterday and today they seemed to have moderated. Capt. Evans, and another Avila fisherman, Capt. Snyder, took full advantage by going right back to work catching Halibut, Starry Flounder, and even Thresher Shark. So you know what that means! The Capt. and myself would like to once again offer Halibut fillets at $9.95 a pound this weekend, starting Friday, September 4th and continuing though Monday September 7th or while supplies last. If you've never have had a chance to try Thresher Shark, fillets will be available at $5.95 a pound. Also Capt. Eaton of the "Curly,"and Capt. Tobin of the "Pleasure" helped by keeping us supplied with Lingcod. While Capt. Diller of the "TKO,"brought in more Blackgill Red Rockfish and Black Cod.

In the Restaurant we will be introducing a couple of new appetizer specials this weekend which includes deep Fried Smelt, Mexican style Octopus Cocktail, and Diver Scallop Ceviche.

Did you know...

These Smelt are actually a freshwater Smelt from the Great Lakes? They are a light and crispy french fry sized fish and will be breaded and seasoned to perfection. The Mexican style Octopus Cocktail is a take-off of our Mexican shrimp cocktail that is a popular appetizer here at Dockside. The Octopus is caught in Morocco and processed in Japan as Sushi quality, before being packaged and shipped to us. The Cocktail has a mildly sweet orange hint that is coupled with avocado and cilantro. Finally our Diver Scallop Ceviche uses Diver Scallops (as mentioned in last week's e-mail) which are hand caught by divers in Magdalena Bay, Mexico. They are sweet silver dollar sized Scallops, thinly sliced and marinated in zesty lemon juice, then lightly tossed in a bed of sliced cabbage, cilantro tomato and red bell pepper. Our Kitchen Manager Chef Joel has been inspired to create some fine new additions to our line-up this weekend that are a true treat for the senses.

Now you know!

All in all we have some great options for a Labor Day celebration! The Capt. & I hope your weekend is filled with good food, family, friends and fun!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 27 August 2009

Ahoy Mates!

Well it's that time of year again when summer winds down and many are either already back in school or will be returning shortly. Over the course, don't forget to periodically refuel with some "brain food" better know as "fresh fish"! Not only does fresh fish taste good, you'll benefit from eating it cause it's good for you!

Speaking of benefiting ....

Capt. Evans of the "Lucy L" had a really good week of catching! If you don't already know, let me just say that when Capt. Evans has a good week, everyone who visits us here at Dockside, and loves Halibut, will have a good week!. OK lets get down to brass tacks, Dockside will will be offering these fresh, wild, and locally caught Halibut fillets for only $9.95/lb in the Fish Market this weekend!

Ooh-la-la!

We have a nice selection of other wild, and locally caught seafood in the Fish Market. This week's catch includes Black Gill Red Rockfish caught by Capt. Cunningham of the "Tommy Lynn," Black Cod from Capt. Diller of the "TKO," and some Ling Cod caught by Capt. Tobin and Capt. Patchen. In addition to the Halibut Capt. Evans caught, he also brought in Angel Shark, Starry Flounder, Turbot, and Sand Sole.

Today our weekly trucked in delivery included King Salmon and Coho Salmon. Both are Alaskan troll "hook and line caught," and according to Capt. Mark, these are some of the best quality Salmon he has seen so far this year! Wow am I impressed! We also received more Halibut cheeks which usually sell out fast so don't be late. In last weeks update we talked about "Dry Scallops, "this week we would like to mention another delicious Scallop to try, "Diver Scallops" from Mexico. These Scallops are harvested by divers who "free dive," (hold their breath) in Magdalena Bay Mexico. The harvest is very seasonal and limited, so you might want to question (or trust) your seafood provider when they claim to have Diver Scallops! Hum...just food for thought?

Did you know....

That in addition to Commercial Fishing, conducting Research Charters, and running the Fish Market, Capt. Mark also provides other ocean support services? For instance in the morning the Capt. along with his crew member Billy Skok, will use the Bonnie Marietta to tow a sail boat from Morro Bay to Avila Beach where it will be hauled out. Morro Bay to Avila Beach only takes me about 30 minutes to drive (oh yes, of course I drive the speed limit...ha ha), however on a commercial boat it will take Capt. Mark the better part of 5 hours just to get down there with his tow. Then it will take another 3 hours back to Morro Bay! The reason for this discrepancy is that most commercial boats travel 8-10 mph, and even less when towing.

Now you know!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 20 August 2009

Ahoy Mates!

Capt. Van Wagner of the "Pure Adrenaline" delivered more Albacore last night! Though not quite as much as what we would like to have had, we are totally thrilled to receive what we got! Last weeks supply of Albacore sold out pretty quickly and so we are very pleased to have more to offer this weekend, and will be honoring the same special price of $7.95 /lb for fillets! If you missed out last weekend you still have an opportunity to get some of these fabulous fish, however you might want to consider being the "early worm" this weekend? This is still a small and segregated school of fish that are remaining about 75 miles west of Morro Bay and currently only fuel for the fishermen to burn if you get my drift?

Additional fish news this week includes Capt Evans of the "Lucy L" who caught more Halibut and Angel Shark that we picked up in Avila Beach just this evening, so you can expect to see them in our display case this weekend. If you are not sure about Angel Shark then let us show you, we will be offering them as a special "fish &chips" on the patio this weekend. Black Gill Red Rockfish and Black Cod from Capt. Cunningham of the "Tommy Lynn.". Two different kinds of Salmon will also be available, Hook & Line caught Coho and Gillnet caught King Salmon from the Skena River, and yes more Yellow Tail! These are just a few of what we consider deep sea delicacies available in the Fish Market and offered as Specials in the Restaurant. Come on by and check out our supplies.

Oftentimes we are questioned about the origin of our seafood, which we are always pleased to respond to. For example this week a customer inquired about our Scallops.

Did you know............

Capt. Mark chooses only East Coast "Dry" Scallops?

Scallops are harvested year-round by dredging from vessels usually about 80 to 100 feet long. Once aboard, they are quickly shucked, placed in large cheesecloth bags and then iced and put into the fish hold to maintain a consistent temperature. The issue of “Wet” Scallops verses “Dry” Scallops continues to be a topic of debate, regardless of the source. Basically the difference between Wet" and "Dry" Scallops is that the processors are injecting water into the "Wet" Scallops, so they get water weight as opposed to actual meat. Not only are the "Wet" Scallops injected with water they are soaked or dipped a chemical known as "tripolyphosphate" which not only increases the shelf life but the weight.

Humm ... dipped in chemicals and water weight doesn't sound like what I want to buy or eat?

Now you know...... why Capt. Mark chooses "Dry" Scallops for us all here at Dockside!

On another note...

Along with all these deep sea delicacies we also have some really good music on the patio at the Fish Market. If you don't already know, let me just say that several local musicians have been playing throughout the week and on the weekends. If you are interested in who is playing and when, please feel free to take a look at the "Musicians Calendar" which is posted in the Fish Market or just give us a call and we will let you know. Other than musicians it sounds like we are going to have a little more entertainment this weekend ..... Don't be alarmed when you hear the "Annual Siren Test" on Saturday! Also to add to the excitement, rumor has it that our local law enforcement (SWAT and SED teams) may be conducting a drill Sunday aboard one of the abandoned vessels at the end of the North T-pier. Don't panic if you see and see and hear these things happening, they are just preparing to protect us! Whew... Never a dull moment at Dockside?

Catch ya next Thursday,

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 13 August 2009

Ahoy Mates!

Well... we have a bit of Albacore news this week! Capt. VanWagner of the "Pure Adrnaline" caught a couple hundred pounds of Albacore (31 fish) about 75 miles West of Morro Bay and delivered them to us here at Dockside! So far it is an isolated score and although nothing to get excited about right now, we are keeping an eye on how it may develop. We are very happy to have these fish and will be offering Albacore fillets as a special this weekend in the Fish Market for $7.95 lb. I am sure we will be featuring them in the Restaurant too! Although it's not quite the same as when we sell Capt. Mark's whole Albacore off the "Bonnie Marietta", we still consider this to be a really good value especially based on what it going on right now.

Some other locally caught fish available includes Blackgill Rockfish and Black Cod caught by Capt. Cunningham of the "Tommy Lynn", Bank Rockfish, Petrale Sole and Blackgill Rockfish from Capt. Wainscott of the "South Bay", and California Halibut from Capt. Evans of the "Lucy-L". Last but not least thanks to Capt. Smith for some great Barred Surf Perch!

Don't forget our weekly deliveries when Jim Mauney, owner and operator of "Harbor Trading Company", brings us other seafood that is not caught locally. For example today he brought us more Halibut Cheeks, Mexican Yellow Tail, Canadian troll Silver Salmon & Skena River gill net King Salmon.

Did you know...

Capt. Mark demands and will only receive premium quality fish for us here at the Restaurant & Fish Market? As matter of fact it is not uncommon for him to reject fish that is not of the quality we require. One of the reasons why we were out of Salmon last week is because they all got sent back to Seattle! So now after going a week with NO "Salmon" in the Fish Market we are happy to receive today's delivery which met Capt. Mark's standards. It is nice to know someone is looking out for us. Nevertheless you can bet that if we are ever out of a fish it will either be because it was excellent and we sold out, or the quality we demand just wasn't available.

OK so now you know...

Capt. Mark and the "Bonnie Marietta" spent more time on the ocean this week on charter. They were involved in water quality monitoring for Morro Bay's waste water plant. Dr. Doug Coats and his research company,Marine Research Specialists (MRS) based out of Ventura (check out their website to learn more MRS Home Page) have contracted with Capt. Mark and the Bonnie Marietta for the last 12 years or so to provide ocean support services for their continued environmental monitoring of this site. A couple years ago you may recall me writing about the charter he did for them down in southern California involving ROV (remote operated vehicle) support. Although this week's was not as exciting as that one was, Capt. Mark was happy because he could see our house from the work site.

Stop by and let us feed your fish fix craving!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 30 July 2009

Ahoy Mates!

Yahoo...

We finally have had some nice ocean conditions. Although there is no local Albacore news to report, most all other fishing included lots of catching! There are so many to names to give credit to this week, and I hope I don't miss anyone but lets give it a try! Much thanks to Capt.'s Wainscott, Eaton, Griffen, Appel, Tobin, Kann, Patchen, and Terra (both of them) for the beautiful Lingcod, and assorted Rockfish, including Black, Blue, Grass, Yellowtail, Brown, Copper, and Gopher. Overall we have quite an assortment of Rockfish here at Dockside this week. In other places most of these fish would usually be tossed together, filleted and then sold as "Red Snapper." Once again we can't emphasis enough that there is absolutely no truth in that practice, which is why you will NEVER find "Red Snapper" here at Dockside! In fact if you want to make Capt. Mark more crazy than he already is (ha ha) just ask him for some "Red Snapper"! Although many fish are similar in texture and taste, there are subtleties that are always interesting to know about and experience. So in comparison lets just take steak for example ... say a steak is a steak, but there are rib eyes, filet mignon, chuck etc. OK so there are also approximately 60 different Rockfish caught from Alaska to Mexico.

Humm sounds like another interesting "did you know" email for me to touch basis with you but I'll do it another time.

Back on course....
The Fish Market & Restaurant will be featuring Capt. Diller, and Capt. Cunningham's Black Gill Rockfish, Hook as well as both hook and line King, and Coho salmon from Canada, Pacific Halibut cheeks, and Mexican yellowtail. Capt. Kann, and Capt. Tobin also delivered two Sheep Head ! Hopefully you'll remember "Simon" the male Sheep Head we had last year whom we released on the 4th of July? Well both of the female Sheep Head we have right now are starting to show the same attraction to people that Simon did. Wow are we lucky! Although they are not quite ready for public display just yet, Capt. Mark may give you a sneak preview if you ask. We've only had them two days now but they are both allowing the Capt. to "pet" them. Its very exciting, and maybe their personalities will gain them freedom just like Simon. ?????

Last week I mentioned Capt. Mark's charter and we wanted to include a website that tells all about the AUV he recovered for Scripps, (autonomous underwater vehicle). Capt. Mark and the "Bonnie Marietta" steamed 40 miles west of Morro Bay for the recovery, and although windy and rough conditions were encountered, he was successful, and the clients were happy to take this $100,000.00 vehicle home with them. Again something you can ask him to elaborate on when you see him.

Take care and we'll catch up with you all next week!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 23 July 2009

Ahoy Mates!

Windy conditions kept most of the fishing fleet in the harbor this week. As a result our selections here at the Fish Market are not as wide as they have been over the past several weeks, however we do have some local fish thanks to the efforts of a few fishermen who ventured out and about in all that wind! Capt Mark and I are not only grateful for their efforts and bounties, but thankful for their safe return home to port!

Some of the local catch includes California Halibut caught by both Capt. Evans and Capt. Kann. Capt. Evans also brought us more Starry Flounder. Other fish just in today included troll caught King Salmon, gill net Silver Salmon both from Canada and more Halibut Cheeks!

Did you know... Capt. Mark is often queried about his fishing activities? Even though with the lack of Salmon season, and so far no Albacore season, he does not stay idle around Dockside or the "Bonnie Marietta"! In fact last week he spent time on the ocean working for a long time client (and friend) Ray de Wit, who is a Senior Marine Scientist and Project Manager with an outfit known as Padre Associates, Inc.

Quite frankly when I think about it, I am amazed at how talented Capt. Mark is!? Let's just say that when it comes to using the navigation equipment aboard the "Bonnie Marietta", he can pretty much locate anything on the bottom of the ocean! As matter of fact, as I am writing today's e-mail, Capt Mark was en route to meet with a representative from Scripts Marine Institute based out of San Diego. They have chartered the "Bonnie Marietta" and are scheduled to leave Morro Bay harbor at 0300 hrs (3:00 am for you land lubbers) tomorrow morning. I don't have the green-light to discuss any of this charter with you right now so I'll just say they will be on a "Hunt" which involves searching and retrieving a piece of equipment at sea.

I hate being kept in the dark ..... but hum?
Hunting - Searching & Retrieving?
OK .... to me it sounds like he is taking Korea & Montana (our Yellow Labs) out hunting!

We'll sea, rrrrrr!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 16 July 2009

Ahoy Mates!

After a week of rough and windy conditions, our local waters have settled down. Many of the local fishermen have taken advantage of these conditions over the past couple of days by chasing down some great fish that we get to share with you!

This week we are happy to report that we have Black Gill Red Rockfish from Capt. Cunningham, Black Cod from Capt. Dillar, and Gopher cod from Capt. Terra, all of whom have helped keep things mostly local here at the Restaurant and Fish Market. Today Capt. Wainscott of the "South Bay" arrived back in port, so we are looking forward to receiving Petrale Sole and Bank Rockfish from him in the morning. To make things even better just this evening we drove down to Avila Beach and picked up several hundred pounds of fish from Capt. Evans, his catch included Halibut, Starry Flounder, Turbot, and Sand Sole. In addition to all these great fish, we had more delicious troll caught Canadian King Salmon and "Snow Pass" Alaska Coho Salmon trucked in today.

As I am writing this e-mail, we received a call from Capt. Nailen of the "Seeker" who caught a few hundred pounds of Albacore up in Half Moon today, and is on his way here to deliver them to us! Capt. Nailen's "Seeker" is a trailer boat and he towed it up to Half Moon, caught the Albacore, and is towing his boat and the fish back home to Morro Bay. These Albacore are going to be awesome because Capt. Nailen has spiked /stunned, bled, gutted & gilled them as soon an he brought them on the deck of his boat and then placed them in ice. We have we often talked about how the fisherman dictates the quality of his catch by doing these things that produces superior fish and gives them a much longer shelf life. Come by and check them out and you be the judge!

Capt. Mark and I love to see you enjoy great fish at a good value so we have elected to offer you two special deals this weekend, Friday July 17th though Sunday July 19th, while the supplies last. Capt. Evan's local Halibut fillets at 10.95 per pound, and Capt. Nailen's Albacore loins at $7.95 per pound. Both are absolutely spectacular fish at reasonable prices. We will also be featuring them in the Restaurant as one of our daily specials.

Did you know....

If you ever want to refer to any of our weekly e-mails we send out, all you have to do is go to our website www.bonniemarietta.com and click on the link that says "fish tales, then scroll back to the week you are looking for and you will find it! You will find that our weekly e-mails go all the way back to 2001.

So now you know!

Sea-U soon, stay healthy and eat fish!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 09 July 2009

Ahoy

Hope your Fourth of July weekend was as much fun as ours was here at Dockside! I swear the White Sea Bass, Halibut, Oysters and other fish seemed to swim right out of the doors of the Fish Market and onto dinner plates everywhere including the Restaurant!

If you didn't get a chance to take advantage of these seasonal White Sea Bass, it's not too late. Capt. Mark drove down to Santa Barbara this morning and picked up another load of them from Capt. Rasmussen and well as some more California Halibut from Capt. Castagnola. He left at dark thirty and was back before I even awoke this morning! Just a reminder, as the season progresses the production usually slows and the price to the fishermen increases as will our price to you.

Today we also received more Canadian troll caught King Salmon, Alaskan Sockeye Salmon, Yellowtail and Halibut Cheeks! Capt. Terra and Capt. Tobin are still our local Lingcod kings, and Capt. Hafer added some delightful Gopher Cod that have become extremely popular as a deep fried whole in the Fish Market.

Did you know ..........
Filleting fish the same day they are caught does not produce the best quality piece of fish? Well, believe or not, all fish whether fresh or salt water, do better iced at least overnight prior to filleting! If you are an active fishermen, try it and see. When you catch fish that your going to eat ......... stun it, bleed it, and then throw it in ice or better yet a icy slush. If you wait to fillet the fish the following day, you will see the difference. In matter of fact if you get a chance, gut the fish prior to icing it! Although gutting the fish is not necessary, it really will make it even better!

For example the White Sea Bass that Capt. Mark brought back this morning were TOO Fresh to cut. Since they were caught in the wee hours of this morning so we won't even think about cutting them until tomorrow. The quality of a fillet is determined starting the moment the fish is harvested whether it is recreationally or commercially caught. When fish are cared for properly it really doesn't matter if they are a few days old. Moral of this story is ..... fish that have been properly taken care of from the very beginning, and throughout the chain of custody, will have a shelf life that would surprise you!

Makes perfect sense to me ...... if we all take care of ourselves better then we should also have a longer shelf life too!

Catch ya all next Thursday,

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 02 July 2009

Ahoy and Happy Fourth of July weekend!

Nice ocean conditions and good fishing news this week from both Morro Bay and Santa Barbara.

Both Capt. Rasmussen and Capt. Castagnola stayed busy making sure our White Sea Bass and Halibut supplies remained strong. Due to their success we are able to repeat our White Sea Bass offering of whole fish for $3.95 lb, which includes free custom filleting. In last weeks e-mail we mentioned that by purchasing a whole fish your cost for fillets is reduced to around $7.90 lb, however after cutting many fish, we can now say that fillets are actually in the $7.20 lb range!! We were so pleased to see how many of you took advantage of this special, and because of that, in addition to the White Sea Bass we are also going to be offering whole Halibut with free filleting during the Fourth of July weekend! Most of these Halibut are in the 5 to 10 pound range and will be available for $5.30 a pound making your fillets just under $10.00 a pound. We consider this to be an outstanding value as most of the time Halibut fillets sell for $15.95 a pound. So come out anytime this Holiday weekend July 3, 4 or 5 and enjoy either of this two great fish at a real value.

Our Lingcod supply remains local and fresh thanks to Capt. Darrell Terrra, his son Capt. Ben Terra as well as Capt. Tobin. We also have more Black Gill Red Rockfish from Capt. Cunningham and Black Cod caught by Capt. Diller . In addition we have Canadian troll King Salmon, and Alaskan gill net caught Sockeye for $16.95 lb and 13.95lb respectfully. If you have been watching the price on troll King's you will see it is down $5.00 a pound which is because of increased production in both Alaska and Canada.

If your looking for oysters to BBQ this weekend, no worries, our supply includes Pacific's from both Morro Bay and Willipa Bay. Recently Neal Maloney acquired Tamales Bay Oysters Companies lease site here in Morro Bay, and this young man has made a genuine effort in making sure this local product stays local. Before most of them made their way to Tamales Bay for resale. Both Morro Bay and Willipa Bay's oysters are great but Capt. Mark and I think the oysters from Morro Bay are actually more uniform, and ecstatically pleasing with maybe just a little plumper body meat. Anyhow you be the judge, both are available by the dozen in the Fish Market with the Morro Bay's coming in at $10.50 a dozen and the Willipa Bay's at $9.50 a dozen. If you need to borrow an oyster knife for the weekend just ask Capt. Mark.

No new Albacore information to report right now but you can bet Capt. Mark (and I) are anxiously awaiting a chance to push the "Bonnie Marietta" to sea in pursuit of these long fins!

Wishing you good Fun, Food, Friends, Family, Fish & Fire Works!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Saturday 27 June 2009

Ahoy Mates!

Please accept my apology for being late on this week’s posting! I was gone for a week visiting our daughter Leah up in Washington. Arriving home just this afternoon I see that lots of good fish have been finding their way into both the Restaurant and Fish Market during my absence. So with this in mind I just had to send a quick and short note to keep you in the know.

Our White Sea Bass supply has been replenished thanks to Capt. Rasmussen of the "Sundowner". Due to his production we are able to keep our pricing on these fish the same as it was last week. He also included a pair of Thresher Sharks which are always a welcome surprise! Capt. McCorkle and Capt. Castagnola also from Santa Barbara and icons in the industry, are making their debut here at Dockside this week with a supply of both California Halibut and White Sea Bass which we are very pleased to have! Other local Captains who help us continue to maintain our quality of fish this week include; Capt. Evans our of Port San Luis with Starry Flounder and Turbot, Capt.’s Terra, Tobin and Demon out of Morro Bay for their Lingcod, Black Cod and assorted Rockfish.

Anyhow upon my return the fish case is full and the specials are spectacular! I have to say it is a pretty good situation to return home to. OK so now I'm thinking of an excuse to run off to again! ha ha! Once again please accept my apology for being tardy with our usual Thursday posting! Hopefully better late than not at all................?

Have a great weekend and will sea you again next week.

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 18 June 2009

White Sea Bass this Weekend, Friday June 19th, Saturday June 20th and Sunday June 21st !

Ahoy and Happy Father's Day Weekend!

Capt. Mark has gotten a chance to do something very special for Father's Day weekend and especially for those of you who love to buy whole fish at a great value! This morning we took delivery of some spectacular White Sea Bass caught by Capt. Rasmussen of the "Sundowner" out of Santa Barbara. In celebration of the beginning of Sea Bass season we will be offering them whole at the Fish-Market, and just like we did on the "Bonnie Marietta" we will even fillet them for free!

Starting Friday the 19th and continuing through Sunday the 21st you can purchase a whole White Sea bass for $3.95 per pound. These fish range in size from about 14 pounds and up (with a few smaller ones mixed in) and yield just over 50% return. Your actual cost for fillets will be less than $7.90 per pound which we consider to be a great deal! These are the real deal and not just some fish called a sea bass for marketing purposes. Now if a whole fish is more than you need, we will also have fillets available for $8.95 per pound. The Fish-Market opens at 10:00 daily so give us a call if you have any questions (805)772-8100 or feel free to call Capt. Mark directly at (805) 441-1451.

In addition to the White Sea Bass, our fish case at the Market will be filled with lots of other local fish! Some of this weeks catch includes Petrale Sole, English Sole and Bank Rockfish caught by Capt. Wainscott of the "South Bay." Lingcod from Capt. Terra of the "Gusto", and Capt. Evans of the "Lucy L" is back on the board with more local Halibut. Some of these will also be featured as specials in the Restaurant.

Did you know almost every season the first Albacore catch always receives lots of attention and hype?

So far here is what we know..... Capt. Mark bought the first commercial Albacore of the 2009 season in Morro Bay from Capt. Nailene of the "Seeker". These are beautiful 20 pound fish and although not as many as we would like to have, we're proud to have this first Albacore available in the case at the Fish-Market, and featured here in the Restaurant! Since it is only June we are hoping this is a sign of good things to come! Yes, it is still early and water temperatures are still settling..... so we'll see!

Capt. Mark and I wish you all a Happy Father's Day and always look forward to either seeing you at Dockside or answering you emails.

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 11 June 2009

Ahoy Mates and Happy Graduation Week!

Plenty of celebrations going on this week starting with MBHS graduation tonight followed by Cal Poly's on Sat & Sun! Although the weather forecast is somewhat on the cloudy side, we can help brighten that up with some good fish or better known to all you grads as "brain food"!

We received lots of fresh fish this week so where do I start?
Hum .........
Capt. Wainscott of the "South Bay" brought in Petrale Sole, Blackgill Rockfish, Black cod, Bank Rockfish and some Red Banded Rockfish. Capt. Tobin of the "Pleasure" delivered more spectacular Lingcod. Capt. Terra of the "Gusto" unloaded Brown, Blue, Gopher and Vermillion Rockfish, along with some Lingcod and Rock Crab today. Other fish which came in today include Mexican White Sea Bass, and Canadian Troll King Salmon. All of these and more are available in the Fish Market and offered as specials in the Restaurant.

Speaking of the Fish Market, did you know that Capt. Mark smokes fish? Ha ha, that sounds funny! Actually we smoke our own fish here at Dockside and Capt. Mark does most of the work. Next time you stop by check out our selection, this week we have Smoked Black Cod, Smoked Albacore and Smoked Salmon. Ooh-la-la they are fabulous! Speaking of fabulous, if you don't already know, we have some pretty talented local musicians that regularly play live music on the patio at Dockside Too. Pssst its no secret that our patio is dog friendly and on the weekends I love to sit there with Korea & Montana (our labs) and listen to the live music while enjoying a glass of local wine, its totally relaxing!

Recently many of you requested Capt. Mark's take of "Wild" Salmon verses "Farm" Salmon and especially Atlantic.
Well now it's time to get Capt. Mark's OPINION:

Did you know ........

There are 6 types of Salmon commonly consumed, one Atlantic Salmon species and five Pacific species? The Pacific varieties include Chinook (King), Sockeye (Reds), Coho (Silver), Chum (Dog), and Pink (Humpback). All commercially caught USA Salmon is of the Pacific variety because Atlantic Salmon are not fished commercially in North America. Some Pacific Salmon are "Farmed", but 95% of the farmed Salmon in America are Atlantic Salmon. You may hear all sorts of different marketing propaganda to sell farmed Salmon but farmed is farmed, period. Everything else is just a bunch of words used to sell farmed fish. Capt. Mark believes some fish do well farmed, ie. Catfish, Tilapia, etc. And most all shrimp are now farmed because some of the methods used to catch them in the wild are tough on other fish populations. But fish that are migratory predators do not do well in a farmed environment in his opinion. No doubt you've heard about the potential dangers of eating Salmon that is raised on farms. How farmed Salmon are fed is at the center of most of the concerns. All sorts of fish parts are included in the pellets that are fed to farmed raised Salmon. Unfortunately, the toxins that have built up in those fish's body also become part of the mix. That's where the concern arises. When a farm raised Salmon eats these pellets, their bodies are taking in concentrated toxins and storing them in their fat. Experts have pointed out that one meal of pellets may contain the dried and compressed body parts and toxins from many whole fish. In contrast, when a wild Salmon eats other fish, it's receiving a "regular" (not concentrated) level of toxin. Many studies conducted in regards to farm railed Salmon suggest moderation. Some experts say that no more than 1 portion of farmed raised Salmon should be consumed each month while individuals can eat as many as 8 portions of fresh "Wild" Salmon. That's a big difference in Capt. Mark's mind. So now you know!

Congratulations and best of luck to all you 2009 Graduates! Think smart and eat smart!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 04 June 2009

Ahoy Mates!

It's Thursday again, and hello JUNE!

What a "Milestone" month June is cause it's filled with lots of Grads & Dads celebrating! Here in our hometown, Morro Bay HS will celebrate on Thursday the 11th, followed by Cal Poly's Commencement on Sat & Sun the 13th & 14th. Congratulations to all!

Now getting down to brass tacks and following up on last weeks e-mail ........

Capt. Mark left Morro bay bright and early this morning (by vehicle) enroute back to Santa Barbara where the "Bonnie Marietta" has been on dry dock for the past week. As of about 2:00 pm this afternoon he reported that the "Bonnie Marietta's" haul out and annual check-up was uneventful. I would say was very good! Anyway's they splashed her back into the water and with Capt. Mark at her helm, they headed back home. Currently ocean conditions are great with a 1 - 2 foot Westerly swell and less than 5 knots of North West winds. If these conditions continue they should be back in Morro Bay bright and early tomorrow morning. By sea this is normally a 16 hour trip, however if the ocean stays flat and calm they can get here sooner.

Speaking of flat and calm weather....

Conditions have certainly helped produce some good fishing around here! As a result we are pleased to offer you the catches of several local fishermen who have delivered to us here at Dockside. To mention a few... we have Halibut from Capt. Schuyler of the "Flyer", Capt. Naileen of the "Seeker", Capt. Kann of the "Dream Chaser" and Capt. Snyder of the "Santurnia". We are also pleased to have Bank Rockfish & Black Cod from Capt. Wainscott of the "South Bay", Rockfish from Capt. Terra of the 'Gusto", Rock Crab from Capt.'s St John of the "Joey Lee" and Capt. Terra of the "Gusto". In addition Capt. Cunningham continues to keep us supplied with fresh Blackgill Rockfish! Today we received Alaskan troll caught King Salmon and Yellow Tail from Southern Calif. And for all you Halibut Cheek addicts, yes we got more today, Ya-hoo! All of these and more will be available for you in either the Fish Market or featured as one of our daily specials in the Restaurant.

Did you know....

Capt. Mark is often asked his opinion on what the best eating Salmon is? Now if you know Capt. Mark, then you know he has never been shy about giving his opinion! ha ha! His answer to this question was (of course) "Ocean run troll caught King Salmon which have been properly handled and over 11 pounds, are superior to all other Salmon". Then he was asked what he considered second best, and his answer was (of course) "The same fish, under 11 pounds". He also added (and we hope you find this beneficial), "Wherever you buy your Salmon, you should know it's species, how it was caught, and its origin. If the seller cannot answer then beware".

So now you know!

I think next week we should get Capt. Mark's opinion on Atlantic Salmon?

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 28 May 2009

Ahoy Mates!

More wind earlier this week, so most of the local fishermen waited until the last couple of days before venturing out and about. Now that ocean conditions have improved, there is some strong Rockfish and Lingcod production again! Capt. Tobin and Capt. Griffen have been bringing in some nice Lingcod, and Capt. Cunningham will be delivering Blackgill Rockfish this evening. Black Cod landings remain strong, primarily because the closure of Salmon season has left many fishermen looking for other opinions and therefore concentrating on Black Cod.

Did you know that Black Cod is also marketed as Sable Fish and Butter Fish?
If you have never tried Black Cod, all we can say is that it takes a little effort to learn how to prepare it, but absolutely worth it! Black Cod is a delicate fish with a buttery texture that is different than most white fleshed fish, but the flavor is outstanding! This week our Chef Joel has been featuring Black Cod in an old fashion fish soup and also in a boulibaise, both were very popular! If you have a recipe that calls for a poached fish, come and get some Black Cod at the Fish Market, you will not be disappointed!

Our weekly quota of Halibut Cheeks arrived today along with some Platform caught King Salmon from the Columbia River. Platform caught Salmon are tribal caught fish landed by using a hand held dip net while standing on scaffolding or "Platform" over the water. This is a traditional and primitive way of fishing, although we're pretty sure the scaffolding and nets are different than what was used 100 years ago. If you want to learn more about this method of fishing, just click on the following link. CRITFC | Fishing Techniques.

In last weeks update I mentioned the "Bonnie Marietta" was going to Santa Barbara for her annual haul out. At the time I didn't realize that I was going to make the trip, but on Tuesday afternoon Capt. Mark, Korea & Montana (our Lab's) and I, climbed aboard the "Bonnie Marietta" and headed south. What is normally a 2 hour drive by land is a 16 hour boat ride! Its only been a few years since I've spent any time on the ocean, and now I remember why, I just don't have "sea-legs"! Although Capt. Mark and Montana had a grand time, Korea and I spent the better part of the trip down in the bunk room, UGH! Actually Korea didn't get sea sick, she was just "Nervous Nellie", but after a couple hours she calmed down and was just fine. I, on the other hand wasn't so lucky. Overall the trip was not a complete loss for me, as matter of fact I even took my turn at the helm in the wee hours of the morn while the Capt caught a little nap. I got an updated lesson on the radar and other electronics, which was somewhat intimidating to me, but managed to understand the basics. Not as much to see at night, however when passing by some of the oil rigs I thought they looked much like Morro Bay's lighted boat parade! There were also quite a few sea birds out there, some just flying around while others were resting on the ocean, and still others feeding. Whatever I could focus on was good just as long as it took my mind off of being nauseated! I have to say the best sight was arriving in Santa Barbara harbor. Not just because I was glad to be back on land, but it is really a beautiful harbor especially at dawn, simply gorgeous! Capt. Mark will be returning to Santa Barbara in about a week to bring the "Bonnie Marietta" back home, but I don't think I will try my "sea legs" again? Will Sea?

Did you know that we have had several Celebrities dine here at Dockside? For example, today, Kevin Costner ate a lingcod fish sandwich for lunch on at Dockside Too!

Yep, that's right and we have pictures as well as his autograph to prove it! "Sea", our seafood is Celebrity quality, pretty gosh darn good hu? Ha ha!

Till next Thursday,

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 21 May 2009

Ahoy Mates!

Wow nearly the end of May already, and boy can time fly by. The local fishing scene have enjoyed some smooth and calm oceans recently which has brought some very good local fishing. Many Captains have enjoyed the good conditions, and have shared their bounty with us here at Dockside. For instance, our local Lingcod expert, Capt. Tobin of the "Pleasure" has kept us in supply with his catch, Capt. Wainscott of the "South Bay" has also delivered some of his catch to us which included Bank Rockfish, Petrale Sole, and Black Cod. We also received more local hook and line caught Blackgill Rockfish, Black and Olive Rockfish, and then today we received our shipment of fresh Alaskan troll caught King Salmon, northern Halibut. Finally our weekly quota of those ever popular Halibut Cheeks has arrived! All in all, we've got a great supply of fresh seafood this week for you here at both the Restaurant and Fish Market.

As usual Capt. Mark stays pretty busy around here. Recently he has been getting the "Bonnie Marietta" ready for her annual haul out, which is scheduled for next Wednesday morning down in Santa Barbara.

Did you know.......

Capt. Mark has the "Bonnie Marietta" hauled out yearly? Yep, and he does this in order to inspect the running gear (prop, rudder, shaft, etc) as well as put a fresh coat of anti fouling paint (better known as bottom paint) on her. Last year the "Bonnie Marietta" was out of the water for nearly two months! But when she went back into the water she had the most beautiful paint job completed on her hull! This year all she needs is routine maintenance, in addition to some minor repair work on the hull. Unfortunately another boat ran into her while she was at rest in her slip. So fender benders can happen wherever you are! Lucky for us, the Capt. who was driving the other boat, graciously agreed to pay for this small mishap. While she is hauled out, all the zincs on the "Bonnie Marietta" will also be replaced. Did you know zincs are a sacrificial metal that are bound to all other metal objects from the waterline down? As the boat goes though the water electrolysis is created and the zincs help "bled" off this electricity so it doesn't deteriorate the other metal objects underwater, such as thru hulls, keel coolers, and of course the propeller and shaft. Just so you know, thru hulls are bronze openings that let water either enter or leave the boat, and a keel cooler is kind of like a radiator only instead of air passing over it to cool the engine water, sea water passes around it keeping the engine cool.

Anyhow...now you know!

In appreciation of all our Veteran's, we wish you a happy, safe and fun Memorial Day weekend!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 14 May 2009

Ahoy Mates!

Lack of being able to fish Salmon hasn't kept Capt. Mark off the ocean so far this month. For instance this past week he spent several days on the Pacific providing support services with the "Bonnie Marietta". Second best to fishing, he loves this type of work!

His first job this week was with a client of many years, Marine Research Specialist, based out of Ventura MRS Home Page. Capt. Mark has performed a multitude of services for MRS. This weeks work was focused on the water and sediment quality monitoring for Morro Bay's wastewater discharge.

His second job was just today. Capt. and the "Bonnie Marietta" provided services for a company named Liquid Robotics Liquid Robotics > Home . You may have read about them in the newspaper back in February, it was either an AP or UPI story. Late last year Capt. Mark retrieved one of their prototypes from about 45 miles SW of Morro Bay, when it had technical problems. Anyhow, this company is developing a self propelled buoy that can be steered to any point in the ocean. Can you imagine it uses wave energy to move it though the water and solar power for up linking to a satellite? We found it fascinating and wanted to write about it back then, but as with some of the work done on the "Bonnie Marietta" it can't be talked about until it has been made available to the public! Nevertheless, if you go to the web site for Liquid Robotics (listed above) you will find that one of these buoys has already been on the deck of the "Bonnie Marietta".

Did you know ....

These buoys are actually called "gliders"? The one that had to be checked today was programmed to "swim" into about 60 feet of water offshore Cayucos. Once there it held position by performing figure 8's while awaiting the "Bonnie Marietta's" arrival. After verification by a diver that all was well, it was programmed via satellite to head west, and was last observed making about 2 knots at 300 degrees. This particular glider is named "Red Flash" and was launched in Monterey. After being at sea for nearly a month it has been as far south as Mexico and now is on its return to Monterey. So now you know!

Other news this week includes the Morro Bay 'Mermaid & Pirate" Costume Parade, which will be held this Saturday, May 16th at 10:30 am at Morro Rock. We are excited to once again be sponsoring this event and will be waiting and ready to feed all the little hungry Mermaids, Pirates & Sea Creatures, as well as their on lookers, when the parade ends behind Tognazzini's Dockside Restaurant. Swim on by Dockside Too Fish Market patio and join us for complimentary food and refreshments while watching these little creatures! Oh yea don't forget to try one of Capt. Mark's specials ....."Sea-Dogs"!

Sea ya'all next week!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 07 May 2009

Ahoy Mates!

Salmon season greetings or should we say a non-Salmon season greeting?! Many of you already know the California King Salmon season has been canceled for the second year in a row. Although the Klamath River and it's run of King Salmon seems to be on the mend, the Sacramento river system is lacking the necessary escapement numbers to support either a recreational or commercial fishing season. Escapement means Salmon escaping the Pacific and returning to the river to spawn. The numbers have improved over last year's returns but lack the numbers needed to have a sustainable fishery. Once again most agree that the main issues continue to be lack of habitat and improper handling of the available water, but all the fishers we know recognize the fact we need to stay off the Salmon resource until conditions improve. We are optimistic that stocks will improve and the lack of Salmon will soon be just a bad memory.

This setback will not change our commitment in keeping you updated on fishing news. We will continue to send our weekly e-mails, May through September, same as we have since 1997. Watch for our postings usually sent on Thursdays.

The restaurant will continue to serve only hook and line wild caught King Salmon (once in a while Silvers), and the fish market will feature only wild Salmon with mostly Kings and Silvers being the standard. In matter of fact the last few weeks we have had hook and line Kings from Alaska as they have seasons in progress.

The lack of Capt. Mark's Salmon season has not left him idle, as he makes all decisions about the fish we use here at Dockside. He usually hand picks all fresh fish caught locally, and makes the effort to personally meet any fish truck that delivers to us, so he can carefully check them as they offload. In addition, the ocean research and vessel support services he provides with the Bonnie Marietta keeps him busy.

In matter of fact Capt. Mark and crew member Bill Skok just recently completed a month long charter providing support for the Asia America Gateway fiber optic cable that was just landed here. Did you notice the ship in our coastal waters the last couple of weeks? Well, Capt. Mark and the Bonnie Marietta provided most all the near shore vessel support for this cable. Early in April the dive company, Ocean Solutions, contacted Capt. Mark about providing the diver support at Montana de Oro for this Trans-Pacific cable. It included many days of hard hat diving, pulling of cable though the bore pipe, cable burial and anchor handling. Several years ago when many of the first fiber optic cables were installed they also installed some spare bore pipes. These bore pipes consist of a hollow pipe extending from land out under the ocean floor exiting in about 40 feet of water. A line is shot out though this pipe approximately 4000 feet using a combination of water and air. Here divers retrieve it bringing it up to the surface. After pulling a series of cables, from small to large, it is handed off to the cable ship, in this case the Global Sentinel. (the ship many of you have seen and heard offshore Morro Bay) http://www.piocma.com/northamerica/global_sentinal.pdf This cable is then pulled back though the bore pipe with the new fiber optic cable attached to it. Sounds simple, but anytime you do something on, or in the ocean, and have to deal with wind, swell, currents and such, it adds complexity to it. When you see Capt. Mark around ask him about it. He found it exciting, as well as challenging!

Did you know the horn you have heard the ship sounding this past week actually means something other than it's foggy? The international fog signal for a ship restricted in her ability to maneuver is one long blast followed by two short blast every two minutes, and a ship handling fiber optic cable is definitely "hampered." So now you're no longer in the "fog" about what you have been hearing.

Happy Mother's Day everyone, we hope you have a fun filled family weekend!

Saturday 19 January 2009

Ahoy and Happy 2009!

What fantastic weather we have been having so far this year? Not only has it been amazing here on the beach, but it has been just as nice out on the ocean and the fishing conditions are proof!

Many of the local Capt.'s have been experiencing some good luck and providing us with a lot of nice fish in our display case at the Fish Market as well as on the specials board here in the Restaurant. For example:

Capt. Cullen has kept us supplied with both Black Cod, and Blackgill Red Rockfish, Capt. Macri brought us some late season Swordfish, Capt. Ward, Halibut, and Capt. Terra Gopher Rockfish. Last but not least Capt. Evans, who at 86 years old makes all the younger Capt. try to keep up with him, continues to bring in steady supplies of Turbot, Angel Shark, Starry Flounder, Sand Sole, Skate Wings, and what he is really famous for, his local California Halibut. In matter of fact he has had some of the best Halibut catching we have seen this winter, and you know what that means! When it comes to Halibut, when Capt. Evans is blessed, we here at Dockside are blessed, and when we are blessed we like to pass it on to you.

So Capt. Mark has spoken, and our local Halibut that usually is in the case for $15.95 a pound, will be a delightful bargain starting this weekend, Friday, and continuing though both Saturday and Sunday for only $10.95 a pound! That's Friday the 23rd, Saturday the 24th, and Sunday the 25th of January 2009. What a healthy way to bring in the New Year.

If you happen to be looking for the "Bonnie Marietta" tomorrow she will be on the Pacific with Capt. Mark and a research charter. Just look out to sea west of Morro Bay High School, and the boat you will see near shore with be them. As a mentioned in our last posting she is sporting a brand new anchor winch, as well as freshly gelcoated decks, and much more! The Capt. has been busy doing yearly maintenance which not only included the winch, but numerous other upgrades that seem to never end. At 28 years old the "Bonnie Marietta" is still looking pretty gosh darn HOT!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew