Fish Tales

Thursday 14 August 2008

Ahoy Mates!

The middle of the August!

Is it possible that the Albacore will give the central coast another slip this season? Thank goodness that the Albacore have shown in good numbers off the Oregon coast, and there have been a little show offshore San Diego, with the best fishing in Mexican waters.

Ever see a lost fishermen wandering around Dockside ready to leave port but with no place to go fishing? It very well may have been Capt. Mark! However, he continues to stay busy working daily here making sure the fish that arrive for both the Fish Market and Restaurant are the very best available. This week is no different.

Capt. Evans of the "Lucy L" is once again seeing limited action with a splash of his local Halibut and Starry Flounder which you can find in the Fish Market. Capt. Nailen of the "Seeker" spent several days fishing offshore San Diego. The "Seeker" is a beautiful Radon Craft that he can trailer back and forth. So we are thrilled to have a limited supply of his fresh Albacore, Yellowtail, and even Mahi Mahi! We are also lucky to have more King and Silver wild troll caught Salmon from Canada and Alaska. After having gone a week without Halibut cheeks, we were blessed to receive another 50 pounds that are available in the Fish Market and will be featured in the Restaurant. Additionally, we have some nice local Blackgill Rockfish, and Longspines from Captains Blue and Rose. Longspines are a nice white fillet that tastes like a cross between Blackcod, and Rockfish. Most Longspines are sent directly to Asian markets, but as you know, we have offerings here at Dockside that are often “out side of the box.”

Captains Blue, Rose and Cullen, are participating in a longline fishery with the Nature Conservancy so we should be seeing these Longspines with some regularity.

Capt. Mark and I are looking forward to another fun weekend with live music out on the patio. Come on by and let us wait on you in the Restaurant or just relax out on the patio where Korea and Montana (our two yellow labs) will be hosting our dog friendly area.

* Update *

Just prior to sending this weeks e-mail Capt. Mark spoke with Capt. Snyder out of Avila Beach who has been fishing Halibut off of Ventura. The two will rendezvous in Avila Beach tomorrow , and so now our limited" supply of Halibut will actually be stronger!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 07 August 2008

Ahoy Mates!

Can you believe we are already ending the first full week of August? Hard to believe that we only have a few weeks of summer left!

Local fishing has been somewhat on the skinny side, however Capt. Tobin, and Capt. Appel have helped with some local Ling Cod. This week Capt. Mark arranged for us to have troll caught Coho Salmon from Alaska, as well as some Yellowtail from Mexico! We also anticipate receiving some fish from Capt. Nailene of the Seeker who will be fishing off of San Diego. Right now there are good reports of Yellowtail and Albacore catching going on down there. So we look forward to hearing from him this weekend.

A couple of boats from Morro Bay are looking around in our local waters for Albacore but as of yet the fishing hasn't produced any catching. Last reports from Oregon on Albacore continue to be good, expensive fuel, but good fish prices.

As we continue the topic of the 5 different Pacific Salmon, tonight we will focus on Pink Salmon.

Did you know...

Pink Salmon are also known as "Humpbacks" or "Humpies"? This is because of a very pronounced, laterally flattened hump which develops on the backs of adult males before spawning. The Pink Salmon is the smallest of the Pacific Salmon with an average weight of about 3.5 to 4 pounds, and average length of 20-25 inches. An adult fish returning to coastal waters is a bright steely blue on top and silvery on the sides with many large black spots on the back and entire tail fin. Their scales are very small and their flesh is pink. By the time the male enters the spawning stream, it has developed the characteristic hump and hooked jaw. Depending on her size, the female Pink Salmon can carry 1,500 to 2,000 eggs. Most Pink Salmon are taken with purse seines and drift or set gillnets. Lesser numbers are taken with troll gear or beach seines. Many people refuse to recognize that a properly handled Humpy is a good eating Salmon. They are especially delicious smoked, but most of the catch is canned. Humpies that aren't properly handled quickly become soft and lose their flavor and for a long time the Pink Salmon was looked down upon as old rumors about their quality and edibility were circulated. It is definitely important to catch the Pink Salmon in their prime, and to handle them with great care.

Speaking of "Humpies" did you know that the American English idiom for Wednesday, is "hump day" a reference to making it through to the middle of the work week as getting "over the hump?"

....so happy Thursday the day after "hump day"!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew
 

Thursday 31 July 2008

Ahoy Mates!

With limited local fishing activity this week, Capt. Mark searched far and wide to secure some very special offerings for both the Fish Market and the Restaurant. We are proud to continue to offer ONLY Troll Caught Wild King Salmon in the Restaurant - something we have focused on since we began our Restaurant adventure 4 years ago. We believe that there are very few establishments that can match this accomplishment or have even attempted to. We will also have a limited supply for the Fish Market and at just under $20.00 a pound for fillets, it is an unequaled value anywhere in California!

After writing about Coho Salmon last week (known as Silvers to most of us) the Capt. felt it important to find some special Cohos for you. The Cohos he selected are reared at a hatchery on the eastern coast of the Prince of Wales Island.

Did you know…

They are released as yearling smolt weighing between 25 and 30 grams (about 1 ounce)? They then spend the next year and a half in the open ocean off southeast Alaska, where they continue to feed and grow. After their time at sea those that have survived fishing activity and ocean predators return to where they left as smolts. The fish are harvested and immediately placed in slush ice. Arriving within hours of harvest to Ketchikan they are custom processed, boxed and flown to customers. Because of the short time between actual harvest and the market, these are among the freshest fish from the Pacific Northwest. These Silver Salmon have been trademarked as Snow Pass Cohos and you can read more about them by clicking on this link: Snow Pass Program (http://www.ssraa.org/new_page_40.htm).

Now you know!

When Capt. Mark opened the boxes today he knew the only way they could have been fresher is if they had come directly out of the BONNIE MARIETTA's fish hold. We will be offering these Cohos at $9.95 a pound for either steaks or fillets on Friday, August 1 and continuing on both Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3 – while supplies last! Don’t miss out on this delicious opportunity!

In addition, we have been blessed with a nice delivery of beautiful Halibut cheeks. Supplies have been sporadic, but we did receive 50 pounds today. For those who have been asking about this delicacy, don't miss a chance to enjoy them! For those who have never had them, yes, they really are Halibut cheeks. Imagine: a combined flavor of Halibut, Scallops, Shrimp, and Crab. Voila! Halibut cheeks! Simply marvelous!

Last but not least, no local Albacore news as of yet, but Oregon Albacore fishing continues to be really good!

Bye Bye July, All Aboard for August!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 24 July 2008

Ahoy Mates,

Ah, July on the coast! Those of you who frequent Morro Bay are well aware of our 65° year-round averages…quite pleasant if you ask me!

During the busy summer season I rarely get away from the Restaurant & Fish Market but this past Tuesday I had an appointment in Paso Robles, so zig-zagging up Hwy 41 I went! Although it was late afternoon it was still 94°! Oh my word I almost melted, how do you all function in that heat!? By the time I got back to Morro Bay it was 55°. So, I was hoping to make it back up to Paso to go to the Mid State Fair, which started yesterday, but now this Morro Bay girl is having second thoughts?!

It’s already mid-July and no local albacore reports as of yet. The Pacific Northwest season is also a little late, but the last week has brought some fine catching about 70 to 100 miles off Newport, Oregon. Prior to that the only spot had been a whopping 500 to 600 miles offshore! At $5.35 a gallon fuel price here in Morro Bay makes prospecting a costly proposition.

On the home front it has not been a big week for local production, however we do have some beautiful White Seabass caught by Capt. Nailene, Lingcod from Capt. Appel, and both English and Petrale Sole from Capt. Ewing. Also, Capt. Mark had to search diligently this week for some more Troll Caught King Salmon. Once again his hard work has paid off as we received some that were caught off of the Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada. We will be offering these Salmon fillets in the Fish Market at $19.95 a pound. This is a lot higher than we would like to sell them for, but still a good value based on what’s available.

Let’s see, since we’ve recently written about both Chum Salmon and Sockeye Salmon I guess we need to bring you up to speed on Coho Salmon…

Did you know that Oncorhynchus kisutch is the scientific name for Coho Salmon, which comes from the Greek roots onkos (hook) and rynchos (nose)? Coho Salmon are also known as Hook Nose (duh?) and commonly referred to as Silver Salmon. They are bluish-black with silver sides and have black spots on their back and upper parts of their caudal fin. Although they usually weigh between 6 to 12 pounds, they can grow to be as large as 38 inches in length and weigh up to 30 pounds. So now you know!

Salmon Salutations!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 17 July 2008

Ahoy Mates and Howdy Doody!

Right out of the chute here’s this week’s fish scoop:

Capt. Ewing of the “South Bay” has come through for us again by providing an assortment of fresh locally caught fish including some Petrale Sole and Chili Pepper Rockfish. And not only that! We’re also privileged to have more White Sea Bass from Capt. Sutton and delicious Ling Cod caught by Captains Tobin and Terra. In addition, we have more Sockeye Salmon provided by Capt. Kristmanson of the “Crisis” from the Skeena River in Canada. All these will be featured in the Fish Market. Also, many will be available in the Restaurant this weekend.

Did you know…

…that we usually have local live music on Saturdays and Sundays on the patio at Dockside Too? As matter of fact, this Sunday, July 20th, “Little Sister” (based out of Petaluma, CA) will be playing on the patio. You’re in for a real treat, because one of the lead singers has the distinct sound of American country singer Dwight Yoakam! Should be lots of fun. Speaking of fun, in case you were not aware, our patio is also dog friendly! Feel free to bring your lovable, furry, four-legged friend with you, because you know that all dogs love good country music!

So now you know!

Thanks so much for your patronage and continued support! We sure hope you’re enjoying this beautiful summer and we look forward to next week when we can bring you more news from the dock!

Catch ya’ll next week!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 10 July 2008

Ahoy!

Hope you all had an enjoyable Fourth of July weekend. Capt Mark along with some of our family and crew loaded up aboard the BONNIE MARIETTA and dropped anchor directly underneath where they shot the fireworks off in Morro Bay. It was a most delightful location and a spectacular evening!

Did you know... Simon the Snaggle-Tooth Sheephead was released?

As planned we let him go early last Friday morning! Despite gale warnings (lots of wind), about 10 of our Dockside's crew mustered aboard the BONNIE MARIETTA and we shoved off at 07:00. Our destination was Point Buchon MPA (Marine Protected Area) which took us approximately an hour and a half to reach. Within the MPA there is a small rock that protrudes out of 120 feet of water to about 30 feet at the top. As a matter of fact our son Marc, has scuba dived on this structure several times in the past and has seen many Sheephead on it. We thought this was the perfect place for a perfect fish! Once in the water, Simon with a quick flick of his tail, headed down to join his own kind. It was a bittersweet moment! Well, just think, maybe he could make a movie or write a book about being captured by aliens (humans)? Ha! Ha! Ha!

Unfortunately the attachment I tried to send you last week failed, so we are working on another. In the meanwhile some good news is that several friends and customers had taken videos of this amazing fish which are available for you to view on a website called YouTube. All you have to do is click on either of the two links below. I think the videos are adorable and should make you smile!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyRTga08Zgg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyKaWdgr-GE

This week's fish news is really good!!!! Just this morning Capt. Ewing of the SOUTH BAY returned to port and Dockside received another beautiful selection of his fish including Bank and Blackgill Rockfish, Petrale and English Sole, and some Blackcod. Just about the time we were finishing up with Capt. Ewing's catch, a load of fresh White Seabass caught by Capt. Sudden showed up along with some Gopher and Grass Rockfish from Capt. Rose. To make things even better we have some Thresher Shark caught by Capt. Nailene, and more Sockeye Salmon from Capt. Smith in Yakutat Alaska! We are pleased to be able to offer you a nice selection of fresh fish this weekend so, starting on Friday, July 11th, and continuing until Sunday, July 12th (or as supplies last) you can have your choice of Petrale Sole fillets, White Seabass fillets or Sockeye Salmon fillets for only $9.95 a pound. Most of these fish will be featured in the Restaurant too!

Sea you next week!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Wednesday 2 July 2008

Ahoy & Happy 4th of July!

We decided to send this week's update out a day early because so many are off to a 3 day weekend starting tomorrow ! Yippee!

OK, so cutting to the chase, this week's fish news includes a lot of really nice locally caught fish including, Lingcod from Captains Terra and Appel. Petrale Sole, Bank Rockfish, English Sole, and Black Cod from Capt. Ewing and we have some Cabezon and Gopher Rockfish courtesy Captains Cunningham and Rose. In addition we are still getting a steady supply of White Sea Bass from Capt. Sudden out of Ventura.

The Sockeye Salmon we had last week were so well received at the fish market that Capt. Mark has once again made arrangements to bring more in this week. These fish will be from Capt. Jonathan Smith aboard the “Arch Cape” from Yakutat, Alaska. They are fresh and spectacular, and a great value at $10.95 a pound for fillets. Keep in mind that not all Sockeye are equal in quality, it all depends on how they are handled and cared for. The Sockeye we have are hand picked and we think you will find them to be a delicious substitute for King Salmon, which should satisfy that Salmon fix you may be craving for a Fourth of July meal!

Since first writing to you about Simon the Snaggle-Tooth Sheephead fish two weeks ago, he has become quite the celebrity! It has been amazing to see how many people have come to the Fish Market just to see him! He has been a delight to all and especially for the young at heart. Even ole Capt. Mark who has been a fisherman for nearly 40 years said that Simon has touched a soft spot in his heart! We do believe that Simon actually seeks out human interaction and really seems to enjoy being touched and stroked. As I mentioned last week, Simon's personality has more than earned him a trip back to the wild which is going to take place on Friday. Of course Friday the 4th of July and Independence Day, which is exactly why the Capt. and I chose this day to give Simon his freedom! Capt. Mark, several of our Dockside crew and I will transport Simon aboard the "BONNIE MARIETTA" to a spot inside a “No Take” area also known as an "MPA" which stands for Marine Protected Area. If you saw Simon you would understand why this is a hard decision!

Several people have taken pictures and videos of Simon over the past couple of weeks and I have attached one of them to this week's update if you would like to view it. We are also working on a YouTube link that should be ready to send out in next weeks update. Oh, and by the way, Simon also made the front page of this week's Bay News! If you get a chance, grab a copy. Neil Farrell did did a nice article on Simon and took some great pictures of him! Wow a what a FISH!

Hope you all have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend, and God Bless America!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 26 June 2008

Ahoy Mates,

So glad to be done with the triple digit temperatures from last week! Finally we are back to good ole normal Morro Bay, sometimes foggy, weather - whew! Good things are still happening here at Dockside, even if the Capt. doesn’t get to fish salmon this year.

After a fast and furious start to the White Seabass season, the catching has slowed some. Production is still good enough and Capt. Sutton is off loading in Ventura today, so we should be seeing more of his Seabass tomorrow! Capt. Ewing of the SOUTH BAY iced up today and will be leaving port tonight on a short trip. We expect him back Monday with more fresh fish. It is always nice to receive his steady supply of Rockfish, and others. In addition, Capt. Mark arranged for some more of that outstanding troll caught King Salmon from Alaska, and as a special bonus this week we will have some delightful Canadian Sockeye Salmon fillets at $13.50 per pound.

Did you know…

Sockeyes, also known as “reds”, are the third most common species of Pacific Salmon? The name Sockeye comes from a poor attempt to translate the word suk-kegh from British Columbia's native Coast Salish language. Suk-kegh means “red fish”. Unlike other species of Pacific Salmon , Sockeyes feed almost exclusively on plankton. Sockeyes are netted commercially using seines and gillnets for fresh or frozen fillet sales and canning. More than half of the Sockeye Salmon that are caught today are sold frozen, with a large percentage going to Japan. This same species is known as a Kokanee when it occurs in landlocked bodies of water. Known for its deep red flesh, the Sockeye retains its color, firm texture, and distinctive flavor when cooked. Yum yum!

So now you know a little more about the Sockeye Salmon!

Last week we mentioned my pet “Sheephead”. Well, he is doing just fine and has shown quite the personality! As a matter of fact I think he is a “ham” ‘cause he even allows us to pet (or touch) his smooth head, which he loves to bob in and out of the tank. The Capt. and I have become so attached to him that we have even given him a name. Capt. Mark calls him Simon, and I call him Snaggle Tooth, so together we decided upon “Simon the Snaggle Toothed SheepHead”! He is about 12-15 lbs and at least a 7-8 yr old male. He has been a great attraction on the patio, has educated and entertained us as well as many of you who have made it over to see us (or him??). In reward for being such a great fish he has earned his Independence and we will be giving him his freedom on the 4th of July by releasing him back into the ocean. If you have not had the chance to see him you might catch a quick clip of him on “YOU TUBE” as one of our regulars took some video today and was going to post it this evening. Haven’t looked yet, but we will let you know what comes of that.

I don’t know about you, but we sure are looking forward to the upcoming weekend! As always, we hope you all have a very enjoyable one!

Until next week…

Tognazzini, Family & Crew
F/V "Bonnie Marietta"
 

Thursday 19 June 2008

Ahoy Mates.....actually I should be saying "A-Hot" Mates!!!

Today has been wonderful but amazingly hot here in Morro Bay! I am only saying that from a wimpy coastal persons point of view! Most of us here on the coast do not have, or rarely need an air conditioner! Well I'm not exactly sure right now, but I suspect we must have been in the low 90's to high 80's today, So I can only imagine how HOT must have been inland! How in the world do you guys manage it?

OK so summer is obviously here! When we think of summer we also think "White Sea Bass" season which began on June 15th. Now whenever we get an opportunity to do something special, we love to share it with you, and this weekend is no different! Capt. Mark has made arrangements for us to have ample supply of White Sea Bass for this weekend and we will be featuring these fish caught by Capt. Sutton of the AURELIA! We will be offering his catch of White Sea Bass fillets for $9.95 a pound in the Fish Market starting tomorrow Friday, June 20, and continuing though Sunday June 22 (or as supplies last). As usual, we will also be featuring these fish as one of our specials in the Restaurant. Now in addition we have some local Lingcod from Capt. Tobin, Capt. Kann, and Capt. Terra! Once again Capt. Ewing of the SOUTH BAY has delivered to us some delightful Bank Rockfish and we have some Brown Rockfish caught by Capt. Terra. So we should have a local fish bonanza for you!

Last week we spoke about the 5 different West Coast Salmon. Each week we would like to talk a little more about each of them.

Well with that in mind......

Did you know?

Chum, nicknamed dog, or calico. None of which names sell well, so you will often see them as “Silverbrite” or “Keta.” The spawning males develop enormous canine-like fangs, and have a striped calico color.

The Chum Salmon is the least commercially valuable Salmon. Despite being extremely plentiful in Alaska, commercial fishers often choose not to fish for them because of their low market value. They are a traditional source of dried Salmon, and are most often canned or smoked. Most Chums are caught by purse seines and drift gillnets, but fish wheels and set gillnets harvest a portion of the in river catch. Next week pink salmon!

If you make it out to the dock this week check out the my pet Sheephead fish. We have it in one of the tanks on the patio and it it seems to like getting a steady diet of pink shrimp. It is an interesting fish!

Did you know all Sheephead are born female! And for reasons not fully understood, they change to males later in life?

 Tognazzini, Family & Crew
F/V "Bonnie Marietta"

Thursday 12 June 2008

Cheers Mates!

What a nice week it has been with all the celebrations going on and the fabulous weather we’ve been having.

During the week Capt. Mark continued his search to bring the very best Salmon to Dockside and his determination paid off again as we received some really beautiful Troll caught King Salmon from Alaska! Like last week, we are able to offer filets for $18.95, which is a good value considering what’s out there, and we truly believe that we have the finest wild hook & line caught King Salmon anywhere around!

Did you know…

There are five commonly caught Pacific Salmon? Some of you may be a little confused about the different varieties of Salmon available this year, so we thought you might be interested to know a little more about them:

Chinook Salmon
Also known as King Salmon. These are the largest of the Salmons, at times reaching sixty pounds or more! The flesh of this Salmon is rich and buttery which is because of the high oil content, and they have a delicate texture. King is also one of the most flavorful of the Salmons.

Sockeye Salmon
Also known as Red Salmon. This fish is second to the King in oiliness and flavor. Like King Salmon, the Sockeye usually have a deep red flesh and a very good flavor.

Coho Salmon
Also known as Silver Salmon. The oil content of this fish is lower than the King or Sockeye, but it still has a very good flavor.

Pink Salmon
Also known as Humpy Salmon. These fish are named for the pink color of their flesh. They have a low to moderate oil content and a light rosy pink colored flesh.

Chum Salmon
This salmon has several aliases.. Silberbrite Salmon, Keta Salmon and (my favorite name) Dog Salmon, which is because of the large teeth they grow during the spawn. The Chum Salmon’s flesh is variable in quality, usually its pale in color, and has a coarse but firm in texture. They have the lowest oil content and are less flavorful than the others.

So now you know!

This week our menu selection includes the ever-so-popular Halibut Cheeks – a delightful piece of fish that everyone must try. This fish is only available during the Alaskan fresh Halibut season. You can enjoy them this weekend in the Fish Market for $12.95 a pound, and we will also be featuring them in the Restaurant as one of our Specials.

Capt. Mark also arranged for us to have fresh White Sea Bass and some local Halibut! Details on these won’t be available until late Friday afternoon. So call or stop by if you have any further questions.

On a final note, Capt. Ewing of the “SOUTH BAY” headed out of port this morning on a fishing trip. So we shall soon have his selection of Rock Fish and Petrale Sole along with an assortment of other fresh fish!

Congratulations to all you graduates, we wish you safe and happy celebrations! We also hope all you DADs out there enjoy a fabulous weekend full of food, fun, family and laughter.

Salmon Salutations and Happy Graduations!Capt. Mark & Bonnie

Tognazzini, Family & Crew
F/V "Bonnie Marietta"
Tognazzini's Dockside Restaurant & Fish Market
 

Thursday 5 June 2008

Ahoy,

Wow, did the wind blow earlier this week! The Coast Guard even had one of their 87-foot patrol boats come in for a couple of days to get out of the wind and heavy seas. It was headed north bound and the buck uphill was not worth the abuse the boat and crew were taking.

Tonight here in the harbor it is a 100 percent turnabout with a truly spectacular evening and just a light breeze.

Of course, the ocean conditions made access to local fish tough, but we still have a limited selection of both local rockfish and lingcod. The Capt. continued his quest to bring the very best salmon to Dockside and his persistence paid off as we received some beautiful Troll caught King Salmon from Alaska. Although still expensive this week we did see a price reduction so we are able to offer filets for $18.95. As with last week, we honestly believe we have the finest wild hook & line caught King Salmon anywhere around.

Another interesting offering includes halibut cheeks. If you have never experienced this delightful piece of fish you should give it a try. Yes, it is actually a real halibut cheek, only available during the Alaskan fresh halibut season. They remind Capt. Mark and myself of a cross between a scallop, shrimp, crab, and fish. We order them weekly but often only receive 10 pounds or so. Today we were blessed as our full 50-pound order came in. They will be available this weekend in the market for $12.95 a pound, and also in the restaurant as a featured special.

Hope you are enjoying the start of the summer season.

Regards,

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 29 May 2008

Ahoy Friends,

The Bonnie Marietta rests quietly in her slip, all dolled up with no place to go. This salmon closure is unnatural for Capt. Mark, but of course it is out of his hands. Can’t remember when he last spent the entire month of May tied to the dock. This doesn’t mean he isn’t working, however, because Dockside keeps both of us quite busy.

The windy and rough ocean subsided some this past week, and many fishermen were thankful. Here at Dockside we also benefited with a great supply of local fish. Capt. Tobin of the “Pleasure”, our steady supplier of lingcod, was joined by both Capt.’s Kann, and Appel with some good lingcod catching. You will find the fillets for $8.95 a pound, while supplies last.

Many customers have been looking to treat themselves to a piece of salmon, and Capt. Mark was successful in locating some Wild Kings caught by Alaskan gillneters. Although not caught by a barbless hook, like is done on the Bonnie Marietta, the Capt. assures this Wild Kings to be the next best things to his own salmon. They are sustainably caught as listed by most all seafood watch lists, including Monterey Bay Aquarium. Though these King salmon fillets will be just under $20.00 a pound, they will be the finest salmon available in this part of the state.

Capt. Ewing of the “South Bay “delivered again this week and our supply of Bank Rockfish is outstanding. He also provided an assortment of blackgill red rockfish, blackcod, and petrale sole; these supplies are limited at this time.

A lot of comments have been e-mailed to us regarding the difference between rockfish and “red snapper”. Here is a little more information to help you out: If you shop where they have both “Pacific” or “Local Red Snapper” and Rockfish, then you know they are using smoke and mirrors. As a matter of fact, places have been known to take rockfish fillets, place them in the tray horizontally with white side up and sell them as rockfish. Then they take the same fillets, place them vertically, red side up and sell them as “red snapper.” Same fish, different presentation and often different prices. But all from the same sack in the back.

Thanks for your continued interest even though the Bonnie Marietta and the Capt. are idle!

Regards,

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 22 May 2008

Ahoy!

Wow, what a couple of windy days we've had!

This time of year we usually get lots of small craft to gale warnings, but yesterday we even had storm warnings!

Did you know that ....
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY: Is to alert mariners to sustained (more than two hours) weather or sea conditions, either present or forecast, that might be hazardous to small boats? If a mariner notices a Small Craft Advisory pennant displayed he should determine immediately the reason by tuning radio to the latest marine broadcast. Decision as to the degree of hazard will be left up to the boatman, based on his experience and size and type of boat. The threshold conditions for the Small Craft Advisory is usually 18 knots of wind (less than 18 knots in some dangerous waters) or hazardous wave conditions.

GALE WARNING: Is to indicate winds within the range 34-47 knots are forecast for the area.

STORM WARNING: Is to indicate winds 48 knots and above, no matter how high the speed, are forecast for the area. However, if the winds are associated with a tropical cyclone (hurricane), the STORM WARNING indicates that winds within the range 48-63 knots are forecast.

Regardless of the windy weather, Capt. Ewing of the "SOUTH BAY" was able to sneak in a couple of fishing days and returned to port safely with a pretty good catch. As a result, we have a very nice supply of fresh fish to offer over this holiday weekend. If you haven't had a chance to try some of the Bank Rockfish, it is simply delicious! Of course, we will continue to feature it in the Fish Market as well as in the Restaurant. Some other bounties from the sea include, local Petrale Sole, Black Cod, Sitka Alaska Lingcod and a fresh load of San Francisco Dungeness Crab.

On Memorial Day we remember the fallen heroes of all wars.

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 15 May 2008

Ahoy!

Looks as if this fabulous weather should hold for the weekend. The absence of the NW wind has made the bay waters shimmer like glass!

Did you know?

This weekend kicks off the first annual Morro Bay “Mermaid & Pirate Parade”, and since Dockside is partial to mermaids we will be providing free refreshments for the participants at the Fish Market. If you have little ones, or grand little ones who like to dress up like sea creatures, mermaids, or pirates, this event should be fun. Come by for complementary drinks, chowder bread bowls, and Docksides own "Sea Dog's."

Many of you have asked where the boat has been recently? Well, Capt Mark took the “BONNIE MARIETTA” down to the Santa Barbara Harbor boat yard where she was hauled out and has been getting a major hull makeover! He just brought her home last night and I must say, she is looking pretty gosh darn gorgeous!

And now for this week fish facts:

Capt. Ewing of the “SOUTH BAY” continues to keep us in supply of fresh local rockfish. Once again this week we are happy to offer a nice selection to you, both in the Fish Market and Restaurant. Thanks again to Capt. Tobin of the “PLEASURE” for his steady daily supply of lingcod. And Capt. Smith of the “HEAVY METAL” for Vermillion Rockfish that continues to be a pleasant addition.

Have a great weekend!

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

Thursday 8 May 2008

Proud to have the finest Rockfish fillets at $5.95 lb.
Fri. Sat & Sun, May 9th, 10th & 11th

Ahoy & Happy Mother’s Day!

Oops, some how I let last Thursday swim right on by without sending you our weekly update! With no Salmon season this year it just doesn't seem like May! News about the Salmon seems to be a daily event, so until all settles we will reserve our comments.

Meanwhile, we are always looking for opportunities to provide outstanding fish at a great value to you. This week will be one of those times. Even though Capt. Mark’s favorite fisheries are Salmon and Albacore, when it comes to sitting down to a fish dinner, both of us absolutely love all the different Rockfish species. This weekend we will be featuring “Bank Rockfish” caught by Capt. Ewing of the SOUTH BAY. You may have read about Capt. Ewing recently, for he is the "Captain" who is working with the Nature Conservancy to help provide fish with an "old school" trawl.

Bank Rockfish are one of approximately 60 different Rockfish sold as "Red Snapper." Many of you have brought local " Red Snapper", or have gone out to dinner and have been sold local "Red Snapper." However, true "Red Snapper" is not caught on the west coast of the United States. Restaurants, and many fish markets will tell you they have local or pacific "Red Snapper", but don't believe them; its actually Rockfish. Here at Dockside, we like to call fish by what they really are, not by a name that helps sell it. This is why you will never find local or pacific “Red Snapper” here.

Now back to this weekend! In honor of Mother’s Day starting Fri. May 9th and continuing through Sat. May 10th and Sun. May 11th we will be proud to have the finest Rockfish fillets available in the Fish Market at $5.95 a pound! In the Restaurant they will be featured as our fish of the day, as well as in our Specials. If you like a firm, white, moist and mild fillet, you'll love this delightful rockfish. They have a tremendous shelf life and are an excellent choice. With the onset of May, we also have ample amounts of other fish including Lingcod caught by Capt. Tobin of the PLEASURE and some beautiful whole Vermillion Rockfish provided by Capt. Smith of the “HEAVY METAL”.

Did you know? Bank Rockfish, known locally as “Red Widows” are a favorite meal for many commercial fishermen. The “Bank Rockfish” ranges from British Columbia to Baja but is rarely found in recreational catches as they usually spend their lives in deep water. That means usually outside 100 fathoms (600 feet). They are dusky red on the back with lighter red sides and black lines in their fins. The females grow to be bigger than the males, and can produce up to 600,000 eggs. Wow, imagine what Mother’s Day is like for the Bank Rockfish?!!!

Wishing you all a very Happy Mother’s Day!

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew
F/V "Bonnie Marietta"
Tognazzini's Dockside Restaurant & Fish Market

Thursday 24 April 2008

California Halibut at $9.95 a pound for fillets this weekend April 26 th and 27 th.

Ahoy Mates!

We are approaching that time of year again when our attention goes to the Salmon season. This is also when we start sending out our weekly e-mail updates which are typically posted on Thursday evenings beginning in May and continuing through September. This is the normal fishing season for Capt. Mark and the "BONNIE MARIETTA". He usually starts off with Salmon in May and then switches over to Albacore sometime in the late summer. The balance of the year we only send occasional e-mails when something special is happening at either Dockside Restaurant or Dockside Too Fish Market.

Direct sales of Salmon from the "BONNIE MAIETTA" have been dismal at best the last two seasons, and three seasons now for Albacore. Although Capt. Mark is pretty talented, if no fish show, then it is beyond his God given ability to change that. When we get an Albacore run or a Salmon season we will be selling direct to you once again, from the deck of our boat. The Capt. has never let a few poor seasons discourage him, and in his 38 years of making a living from the Pacific he has seen it all from good to bad and everything in between.

Anyhow , we have lots to talk about. By now most of you already know we are not being allowed a California Salmon season for 2008. There are many reasons for this but over fishing in not one of them. During the following weeks we will provide further information regarding our Salmon fishery.

For the time being lets talk about some good stuff.......
Several weeks ago we did a California Halibut special at the Fish Market. It was so popular that Capt. Mark has been looking for another opportunity to do it again. Capt. Evans our regular Halibut catcher has mostly watched the wind blow from the safety of the harbor. So Capt. Mark arranged to receive more California Halibut from Capt. Palma of the "THRUST", who fishes out of San Pedro. Fishing has been good enough for Capt. Palma that we once again will offer California Halibut at $9.95 a pound for fillets this weekend April 26 th and 27 th. Of course you will see it in the Restaurant over the weekend as a featured special too.

Just for the Halibut, have a great weekend!

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

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 w