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<p>BLOOMSBURG &#8212; When Jenn and Steve Kurian head north each summer for their annual fishing expedition to Alaska&#8217;s Bristol Bay, they say it&#8217;s a feast for the senses.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just breathtaking,&#8221; Jenn said. &#8220;You see beautiful, tall mountains in the background with snow on top.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;The best part is just being out there,&#8221; Steve added. &#8220;You&#8217;re removed from society in a hunter/gatherer element and you get to live by the tide, the weather, the fish, and disappear off the face of the earth for a little while.&#8221;</p><p>It sounds like an ideal vacation, but for the Kurians the annual journey has become their livelihood and a chance to supply Pennsylvania folks with tasty, wild-caught fish through their Bloomsburg-based business, Wild For Salmon.</p><p>&#8220;We love the salmon for its freshness and taste,&#8221; said Margaret Bakker, an architect from Lehman Township, who recently purchased some fillets.</p><p>Bakker is a big fan of the bright red fish, which is full of heart-health Omega 3 fatty acids, and said her husband, Rob Lewis, &#8220;generally doesn&#8217;t eat fish, but he makes an exception for the wild-caught salmon.&#8221;</p><p>The couple appreciates the fact that the salmon is sustainably harvested, which is important to the Kurians, too.</p><p>Jenn explained what that means: &#8220;The state of Alaska in their constitution has regulations so fishermen cannot overfish any species. We&#8217;re not allowed to catch any fish until a certain number go up the river. There&#8217;s an &#8216;escapement goal&#8217; for each of those rivers and they count the fish as they come and go.&#8221;</p><p>Living around the clock for six weeks on their 32-foot boat, the Ava Jane, the Kurians listen for radio announcements every three hours that let them know if and when they can fish. Sometimes three days might pass by without any fishing allowed.</p><p>But when permission is granted, the harvest tends to be abundant.</p><p>Aided by two deckhands and using a gillnet that floats behind the boat, the couple can harvest anywhere from 100,000 to 250,000 pounds of salmon in six weeks.</p><p>Every eight hours they hand the fish over to a larger &#8220;crab boat&#8221; to be filleted and flash frozen. Steve inspects it and then it&#8217;s sent to Bloomsburg, where the Kurians sell whole fillets, fillet portions, smoked salmon, salmon burgers and other products in their store on Montour Boulevard (Route 11) and also distribute it within a 2&#189;-hour driving distance of Bloomsburg.</p><p>&#8220;We go west to State College, east to New Jersey and we have buying clubs in New York,&#8221; Jenn said.</p><p>They&#8217;ve staffed a stand at the Wilkes-Barre Farmers Market every other Thursday, and plan to do that again on Nov. 5 and Nov. 19, before the Farmers Market season ends. Their products also are available at the Lands at Hillside Farms in Shavertown and the House of Nutrition in Luzerne. Their website, wildforsalmon.com, explains how to start your own buying club with friends so you can order in bulk and it lists area restaurants that purchase the salmon, such as the Westmoreland Club.</p><p>&#8220;The flavor&#8217;s outstanding,&#8221; Westmoreland Club executive chef Frank Priore said in a telephone interview, explaining one way he likes to serve sockeye salmon is flavored with an allspice rub and served with sweet potato puree, wilted local greens and Brace&#8217;s Orchard Apple Cider &#8220;caviar.&#8221;</p><p>As you can tell from that menu listing, Priore likes to use local suppliers, including local salmon fisherman.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s very good for you,&#8221; he said of the fish. &#8220;It has a very clean flavor, and it cooks quickly.&#8221;</p><p>With Jenn Kurian having a teaching degree and Steve Kurian being a forester, the couple, both 37, didn&#8217;t expect to end up as commercial fishermen. Their adventure began with a small-scale trip in 2002 and just bringing back a cooler or two of fish for family and friends who &#8220;went wild&#8221; for it.</p><p>The job has its dangers, Jenn admitted. &#8220;You could definitely fall overboard. You could get caught in a line. With the sheer movement of the boat you can hit your head on something &#8230; you have to definitely take precautions and preach safety. If it&#8217;s rough in the open sea we go into the river a little bit.&#8221;</p><p>The job has so many perks, too, from Alaskan scenery to the rhythm of living by the tides to the &#8220;unmatched&#8221; pleasure of eating salmon right on the boat. The Kurians have enjoyed it there, and they enjoy it at home in Bloomsburg, several times a week.</p><p>&#8220;You never get sick of it,&#8221; Steve said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Jenn and Steve Kurian of Bloomsburg on their 32-foot boat, the Ava Jane. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_salmon.boat_.jenn_.steve_.jpg</photo0><caption0>Jenn and Steve Kurian of Bloomsburg on their 32-foot boat, the Ava Jane. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photos </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_salmonboat.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The Kurians&#8217; salmon boat is out on the water for six weeks in June and July. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_salmonboat.jpg</photo1><caption1>The Kurians&#8217; salmon boat is out on the water for six weeks in June and July. </caption1><photoCredit1>Submitted photos </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_salmonwithsteve.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Steve Kurian looks over a catch of fish on the deck of the boat. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_salmonwithsteve.jpg</photo2><caption2>Steve Kurian looks over a catch of fish on the deck of the boat. </caption2><photoCredit2>Submitted photos </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_halloween.kids-012.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Brittney Dieter, an employee of Wild for Salmon, staffs the stand at the Farmers Market in Wilkes-Barre on a recent Thursday. The stand will be open during the Farmers Market Nov. 5 and Nov. 19, starting at 10 a.m., on Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s Public Square. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_halloween.kids-012.jpg</photo3><caption3>Brittney Dieter, an employee of Wild for Salmon, staffs the stand at the Farmers Market in Wilkes-Barre on a recent Thursday. The stand will be open during the Farmers Market Nov. 5 and Nov. 19, starting at 10 a.m., on Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s Public Square. </caption3><photoCredit3>Submitted photos </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>FINDING THE SALMON</strong></p><p>&#8226; In the Wilkes-Barre area Wild For Salmon is sold at the House of Nutrition in Luzerne and the Lands at Hillside in Shavertown.</p><p>&#8226; A stand will be at the Wilkes-Barre Farmers Market on Public Square on Thursdays Nov. 5 and Nov. 19 starting at 10 a.m.</p><p>&#8226; A day of tasting and recipes is set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 14 at Wild For Salmon, 521 Montour Blvd. (Route 11), Bloomsburg. Proceeds benefit Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Steve and Jenn Kurian of Bloomsburg offer sustainably harvested seafood through ‘Wild For Salmon’