Alaska. The name alone conjures images of rugged wilderness, towering glaciers, and an abundance of wildlife and, of course, freshly caught seafood.
The food is such a huge part of our yacht cruise experience! We serve halibut, salmon, rockfish, black cod, cod, muscles, shrimp, clams, Golden Crab, Dungeness crab, tuna, and whatever else we catch and find in season!
Bang Bang Shrimp!
In this blog post, we will delve into the exciting world of black cod fishing with Captain Harley aboard the M/V Last Chance and how we prepare the fish to savor their unique flavor in a truly unforgettable culinary experience for our cruises aboard the Northern Song – Alaska Sea Adventures.
M/V Last Chance Heads Out Fishing for Black Cod in Washington
Captain Harley started his career as a commercial fisherman with over 40 years of experience. He fishes black cod from October to December, Dungeness crab from January to March on the M/V Last Chance, and then runs the M/V Northern Song with Alaska Sea Adventures from March to October for Alaskan and San Juan Island cruises.
Guests gain valuable insights into seafood sourcing, including how it’s caught and what fishing vessel types are used, current industry trends, sustainability practices, and the future outlook for wild and farmed fish.
M/V Northern Song – Alaska Sea Adventures in Tracy Arm Fjords
Black Cod: A Deep-Sea Treasure
Black cod, also known as sablefish, is a deep-sea dweller that thrives in the icy waters of the Alaskan and Washington coasts. Typically found at depths ranging from 700 to 3,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, catching these fish requires experienced fishermen and specialized gear.
These fish are known for their impressive lifespans, with some estimated to live over 90 years.
The high oil content in their flesh gives black cod its signature rich, buttery flavor. This oil helps them survive their deep-sea habitat’s intense pressure and cold temperatures. Its rich, buttery flesh and delicate flavor have earned it a place among the world’s most coveted seafood. As Captain Harley says, “It’s the best fish you’ve never tasted!”
Black Cod Prepared for the Alaska Sea Adventures Travelers
Fishing for Black Cod with the M/V Last Chance
Once the October cruises aboard the Northern Song wrap up, Captain Harley moves to fish black cod off of the coast of Washington aboard the M/V Last Chance. Harley and a crew member set out to catch thousands of pounds of black cod. An average fish weighs 5-10 pounds.
Here is a HUGE black cod fish Harley caught in his earlier commercial fishing days!
Harley Ethelbah -Commercial Fishing for Black Cod
Black cod fishing in November and December can be challenging due to the weather. These brown bags sitting on the side of the boat below are squid. The bait is placed inside a bait jar and put in a slinky pot to attract the fish and protect the black cod so the sperm whales don’t eat the fisherman’s catch.
Watch here as crew member Ryan Walker demonstrates how black cod is caught in a slinky pot.
Once the fish is caught and processed, Captain Harley services it aboard the M/V Northern Song for the cruises and sells it to local seafood distributors in Washington and the Bellingham Dockside Fish Market, which happens two Saturdays a month! If you are in the Bellingham, Washington area, this is a fantastic way to learn more about locally caught seafood and pick up some of the freshest seafood directly from the fisherman.
Harley demonstrates how to cook black cod at the Bellingham Dockside Market in Bellingham, Washington.
A Culinary Adventure
Did we mention that cuisine is a large part of our cruise experience, so be prepared to indulge? We incorporate Harley’s commercial fishing experiences into our culinary offerings, serving a variety of delicious black cod dishes. Here is an Alaska Sea Adventures favorite!
“Burn the Hell Out of It” Black Cod
Ingredients
1-2 black cod fillets from Jean C Family Fisheries
Soy sauce or soy sauce alternative
Directions
Defrost your black cod. Once defrosted, cut the fillet into individual portion sizes (one whole fillet will cut into 4-5 portions, and many people eat 2 portions).
Marinate the portions in soy sauce or soy sauce alternative (we use gluten-free tamari or coconut aminos) for 1-3 hours.
Heat your oven or grill to 450-400 degrees. Place skin side down right on the grill or on a pan. We use parchment paper in the oven on top of a baking sheet.
Cook for 12-18 minutes until the fish can easily flake. Serve hot with your favorite side or on top of a salad.
Conclusion
Is your mouth watering and ready for a true Alaskan adventure?
Join us for a journey filled with incredible seafood, fascinating insights into Alaska’s history from a local commercial fisherman, breathtaking sights like calving glaciers and massive icebergs, encounters with humpback whales and porpoises, the forging of new friendships, and an all-around unforgettable experience. Let’s make some memories!
Book your Alaskan Adventure & Culinary Delight today!
M/V Northern Song – Southeast Alaska
The killer whale is a magnificent, powerful apex predator. In this captivating footage, our guests witness a poignant moment in the circle of life as a pod of orcas, including young calves, work together to hunt a sea lion in Southeast Alaska. This natural behavior, while essential for survival, is a testament to the intricate balance of the marine ecosystem.
Orcas in the colder waters primarily feed on fish such as salmon, herring, and cod. Some orcas, typically the transient ones, hunt marine mammals, including seals, sea lions, dolphins, porpoises, and other whales. The transient orcas have more prominent, stronger teeth that are better suited for capturing marine mammals.
An adult killer whale can consume approximately 551 pounds of food per day. A growing calf might only consume up to 10% of its body weight daily.
Killer whales are highly intelligent and adaptable animals. Their diet can change based on the availability of prey and their specific ecological niche.
The difference in diet between the resident and transient killer whales results from genetic and behavioral adaptations that have evolved over time.
It’s important to note that while this is a part of the natural world, the footage is presented in a way that is not gory or gruesome. Alaska Sea Adventures First Mate Bart Oosthuizen captured this amazing footage!
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Join Alaska Sea Adventures for an all-inclusive yacht cruise through Southeast Alaska for incredible whale watching! What if you could witness this? This Alaskan adventure yacht cruise is truly a trip of a lifetime!
Southeast Alaska stands as a testament to glaciers’ immense power and beauty, sculpting its rugged landscapes over millennia. The region’s iconic icy giants are the North and South Sawyer, LeConte, and Baird Glaciers, each weaving a unique tale of geological history and environmental change.
A Journey Through Time: Glacial Formation and Dynamics
What is the Last Glacial Maximum?
At the peak of the last glacial maximum somewhere between 19,00 and 26,000 years ago, Southeast Alaska was blanketed in ice. The tidewater glaciers we see today, like many others in the region, reached their maximum advancement during this period, carving long winding fjords and shaping steep mountain peaks, creating the incredible landscape that is Southeast Alaska today.
As these glaciers retreated into the fjords they carved, they left behind a vast barren landscape, creating a blank canvas for Alaska’s plant population to evolve and thrive. This evolution of plant growth can still be seen today along the more recently exposed walls of the fjords where glacial ice only recently receded and plant growth has just begun. Traveling deep into the fjords provides an experience akin to traveling back in time, getting to witness the early stages of vegetation starting to inhabit the barren landscape left behind by receding glaciers.
Southeast Alaska’s Tidewater Glaciers Today
South Sawyer Glacier
Located in the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness, South Sawyer Glacier is popular for its stunning blue ice and dramatic calving events. Calving occurs when chunks of ice break off the glacier, crashing into the water below with a thunderous roar.
South Sawyer Glacier- Photo by First Mate Ryan Walker
This glacier is actively monitored for its retreat and melt rates, providing valuable insights into current climate trends. South Sawyer Glacier has receded roughly 1300 annually over the last 100 years, creating a vast ice-field at the face of the glacier made up of chunks of ice ranging from the size of a baseball all the way up to icebergs larger than the MV Northern Song!
MV Northern Song at the mouth of LeConte Glacier by Russell Graves
The vast ice field of South Sawyer Glacier creates the perfect breeding grounds for harbor seals to give birth to their pups. Harbors seals from all over Southeast Alaska make the long trek into Tracy Arm in the late spring and early summer to give birth to their pups on icebergs safe from predators such as killer whales and bears. They raise their pups on the icebergs and in the surrounding fjord waters until it is safe to return to their typical habitat along the shores of rocky islands and sandy beaches throughout Alaska.
North Sawyer Glacier with Harbor Seals & Pups
North Sawyer Glacier
Just six miles northwest of South Sawyer Glacier, North Sawyer Glacier has receded into a relatively narrow and shallow portion of the fjord, stabilizing the face of the glacier and causing any calving to cease. The glacier’s shallow water and gradual movement have resulted in the accumulation of glacial till at the foot of the glacier, creating what is known as a recessional moraine.
South Sawyer Glacier -Photo by First Mate Ryan Walker
Moraines are significant accumulations of unconsolidated rock and debris deposited by glaciers. The primary moraines seen in Southeast Alaska are recessional and terminal. Recessional moraines, like the one North Sawyer Glacier rests on today, are small ridges of rock and debris created when a glacier pauses during its retreat, and debris previously frozen in the glacier’s leading edge is deposited along the foot of the glacier. Terminal moraines are prominent ridges of debris pushed forward by the leading edge of a glacier and dumped at the farthest-reaching point of the glacier’s advance. During the last glacial epoch, Sawyer glacier reached out to the mouth of Tracy Arm forming a massiver terminal moraine that can be witnessed today in the form of a shallow bar that must be crossed when entering Tracy Arm. Many other Glaciers in the area have the same shallow entrance to their fjords created by a terminal moraine, including Baird Glacier in Endicott Arm and LeConte Glacier.
LeConte Glacier
16 miles from the M/V Northern Songs home-port of Petersburg, Alaska, sits LeConte Glacier, the southernmost tidewater glacier in the northwest hemisphere.
Alaskan Yacht Cruise – LeConte Glacier
Like South Sawyer Glacier, Leconte Glacier is actively calving off large icebergs into the surrounding waters of LeConte Bay, creating a vast ice field perfect for harbor seals to give birth to their pups.
LeConte Glacier has been meticulously studied by students from Petersburg High School since 1983. Every year, they take the much-anticipated trip from Petersburg to LeConte Bay to examine the location of the glacier’s terminus, resulting in one of the longest ongoing studies of a single glacier. Captain Harley Ethelbah also participated in these studies in high school.
Various organizations have conducted numerous other studies over the years to understand the tidewater glacier cycle better. Information collected from studying Leconte Glacier has provided significant insight into glacial studies worldwide.
Baird Glacier
Located 16 miles north of Petersburg, Baird Glacier reaches down from the vast Stikine ice field into the head of Thomas Bay. For over 100 years, Baird Glacier rested on a terminal moraine, allowing visitors to climb onto it and the glacier. In some cases, it even acted as the starting point for mountaineers attempting to ascend Devil’sThumb, an iconic mountain peak 15 miles east of the glacier.
Over the years, the glacier continually lost volume, helping to initiate the break up of the terminus in 2015 when a glacial flood starting in the upper reaches of the glacier caused the already thinning terminus of the glacier to slowly break, sending icebergs into Thomas Bay. As the terminus receded from its terminal moraine, it left behind a large mud flat that was filled with runoff from the glacier, creating a lake at the new terminus of the glacier. Accessible at high tide skiff from our 8-day yacht cruise, Baird Glacier still allows visitors to enjoy the beautiful landscape and unique characteristics it has to offer.
Conclusion
Southeast Alaska glaciers are more than just stunning natural wonders; they are vital components of the region’s ecosystem, culture, and climate. From the massive icebergs calving off of South Sawyer Glacier to the intricate textures and beauty of Baird Glacier, these icey giants offer a unique window into the Earth’s past. By fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of Southeast Alaska’s glaciers, we not only celebrate their existing beauty but also help safeguard their legacy for future generations.
So, whether you’re drawn by their majestic landscapes or the scientific mysteries they hold, the glaciers of Southeast Alaska are best experienced close up, where their majestic beauty can be truly absorbed and appreciated.
Our goal with Alaska Sea Adventures aboard the MV Northern Song is to build lasting memories of a once-in-a-lifetime Alaskan yacht cruise and give you up-close and personal interactions with the vast beauty that Southeast Alaska has to offer.
North Sawyer Glacier Photo by First Mate – Ryan Walker
And as you can see, each of these giants is a little different, so you have to explore them all! Explore our Alaskan Yacht Cruises
Written by First Mate Ryan Walker
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