Chefs Make Pitch For Wild Salmon

Chefs from around the country will begin a campaign today to restore the rivers Pacific wild salmon need to spawn. Led by celebrity chef Alice Waters, the campaign urges federal officials to remove dams that block the annual spring migration of fish to natal streams, and urges consumers to buy wild salmon. Environmental groups that rate fish based on both health and sustainable fishing practices generally recommend Alaskan wild salmon. If anyone doubts the ability of chefs to make a difference, recall the "Take a pass on Chilean bass" campaign, which a few years ago called attention to plight of Chilean sea bass, aka the Patagonian toothfish, which was being overfished to supply high end restaurants in the United States. Chefs stopped serving the fish, and started educating their customers.