So it turns out Tuna Club was created 18 years ago when a local fisherman named Jeremy (a fine wine-loving Brit transplant) decided to gather people together to can some tuna from a particularly plentiful catch. The group has gotten larger over the years as people are invited in to help with larger and larger quanities of fish. This year we canned 3600 lbs.
Volunteers sign up for shifts based on tasks. The day before Thanksgiving, they cut all the fish into two inch steaks with a bandsaw and pile them into coolers. The day after, the process of washing, cutting, trimming, jar-packing and cooking commences. Each participant gets to buy a case and Sustainable Bellingham gets the rest for charitable purposes.
It's gruelling work. Standing in one place hunched over a cutting board handling frozen fish with frozen hands isn't all that easy. Bob and I did two shifts each, and left exhausted. But happy--with two cases of tuna.
Jo Ann--Jeremy's doing a small version of this in Seattle this weekend--400 lbs. Contact the local Slow Food group for information.