Jake Clemens of Epick Seafoods has brought his wild-caught fish from Alaska to the Peak to Peak. He says “he’s been commercial fishing for many seasons, and we’ve always brought salmon back for our friends and family. More and more neighbors wanted salmon, so we started bringing back extra. Since we bought our own commercial fishing boat, it’s possible for us to offer salmon to the whole community. Our aim is to help people connect with where their food comes from, even if it’s brought all the way from Alaska….Our neighbors were so excited about our salmon that we felt called to branch out to the rest of the community.”
Clemens stresses his emphasis on renewables and sustainability. “Not many other seafood companies seem concerned with the sustainability of their supply chain. We’ve purchased an electric car to make our deliveries, and store our salmon right in Nederland, as close to our customers as possible. Our dream is to transport and refrigerate our salmon sustainably all the way from Alaska…. We also strive to transport and store our salmon using renewable energy.”
While one of his joys is listening to his neighbors’ fish stories, Clemens pretty much tops them all. The sockeye salmon fishery near Bristol Bay, Alaska, has multiple challenges. “The fishery only lasts about two months, since the fish all try to get upstream when spawning conditions are ideal in their home lakes.
“The Alaska Department of Fish and Game operates counting towers so they know how many fish make it to their spawning grounds. They also do test fishing farther down the coast, and genetic sampling to gauge how many fish are on their way and which rivers they are headed to. Finally, they fly over the river mouths to spot schools of salmon and estimate how many are poised to swim upstream.
“Based on all that, they decide how much time we are allowed to fish from day to day. We might get two hours twice a day, or ten hours twice a day, depending on how many fish swim upstream on each tide. Sometimes, we aren’t allowed to fish at all until the fish show up. We’ve waited as long as ten days on anchor….But when enough fish have escaped upstream, the fishing gets opened up 24/7, so we fish constantly and take turns napping.”
Mariah grew up in Nederland, Jake grew up in Alaska, and they both worked on commercial fishing boats for many seasons before buying their own boat and starting a family. Now they spend their winters in Colorado while Jake continues to run the boat in Bristol Bay in the summer.
They offer their wares at a booth at the Nederland Farmers Market. B&F Mountain Market stocks their filets. Busey Brews smokes their salmon and offers it on a BLT, or as a topping for salads or mac and cheese. Their products can also be bought through their website, epickseafoods.com. They deliver everywhere from Nederland to Denver and along the Peak to Peak, and ship anywhere – so far, as far as Rhode Island.
As they slowly expand their business, focused on sustainability and renewables, they hope to give back in the future by offering a local cold storage facility. “We want to help meet the demand for cold storage,” says Clemens, “whether it’s for our salmon, local farms and ranches, or wild game.”
You can find out more about Epick Seafoods LLC on their website, epickseafoods.com; Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/ epickseafoods/; or Instagram account @epickseafoods. Or email jake@epickseafoods.com.
