28 SEAFOOD NEW ZEALAND February 2012

For an international fisheries scientist who enjoys the best seafood

the world has to offer you think he would be hard pressed to choose a

favourite but Professor Ray Hilborn is quick to answer.

In an isolated nook on a peninsula at the bottom of Alaska is

Chignik Lake. To make your way to Chignik Lake you must first fly into

a town called King Salmon. This no doubt gives you rather large hint as

to which is Ray’s favourite fish.

Alaska is famed for its salmon, both sockeye and king, and for the

sustainable management of the species (sharing world leader status in

fisheries management only with New Zealand). This is partly why Ray

visits this region.

As a Professor in the School of Aqautic and Fishery Sciences at the

University of Washington, Ray visits the field office regularly with his

students to study the 5000 salmon that inhabit the area. Luckily as it’s a

wild fishery he is also able to fish.

Ray first visited Chignik in 2002 when the field office was

nothing more than shack. It has since been upgraded but the quiet

spot is a firm favourite of Ray’s (his 10 year-old grandson

occasionally visits with him and is just a successful fisherman as

his grandfather).

“I walk down the track from the field office, motor out in the boat

40 feet, turn off the motor, drop the anchor, pull out the deckchair,

crack open a beer and within in minutes I’ve gotta 40lb pound King

Salmon on my line. It’s fantastic,” he says.

Following one trip to Chignik Lake Ray had a cooler full of 130lbs of

salmon ready to fly back to Seattle. “It exceeded the luggage check-in

amount so I had to transfer some of it to carry-on luggage. I think I got

away with it.”

Ray likes to enjoy his salmon just cooked on the barbeque. He has

been kind enough to share with us his secret marinade.

Simply delicious

Ray Hilborn at Lake Chignik with a 40lb salmon

February 2012 SEAFOOD NEW ZEALAND 29

Mix together equal parts

Soy sauce•

Port•

Olive oil•

Maple Syrup•

Baste salmon with marinade and cook until just done on the barbeque.

Ray’s King Salmon marinade