Costanti Family Fishing History

Simply the best smoked salmon you will ever taste. It’s a claim we take great pride in. That pride and dedication — to offer you only the tastiest wild Alaskan salmon fillets — goes back to over 100 years ago.

The Costanti family has a fishing history rich in tradition that goes back to the island of Hvar off the coast of Croatia. The Costanti grandparents came to the West Coast of the United States in the early 1900’s. Like many other families from Croatia, they first fished the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean around San Pedro, California, and then over the years worked their way North up the coastline, fishing for Pacific Northwest salmon in the brisk Puget Sound waters around Seattle, Tacoma and Anacortes. They finally settled in the quaint village of Fairhaven in Bellingham, Washington with several other European families.

This immigrant Slavic community was a strong network of friends and family whose lives revolved around the fishing industry. My grandmother, like other transplants whose English was good, helped many new families navigate the strange and unknown customs of Bellingham. She also helped other Croatians begin their lives as citizens of America.

These proud new Americans collectively fished for Pacific Northwest salmon in the Puget Sound and the majestic San Juan islands in Washington. They traveled as far North as the Aleutian Peninsula in Alaska, fishing the crystal waters for wild Alaskan salmon. Their tremendous success contributed significantly to the rich history of Fairhaven and Bellingham. Their story unfolded during an epoch when Pacific American Fisheries (PAF), one of the largest salmon cannery operations in the world at the time, was located in Fairhaven. PAF claimed a significant global market shipping salmon all over the world.

The story that began on the coastline of Croatia over 100 years ago and continues to the bustling village of Fairhaven in Bellingham today is an incredible one. We proudly carry with us the nostalgic memories created by my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and godparents and this history is the very reason why Fairhaven Bay Seafoods is so successful today. They would be proud to know that the Costanti family preserves its rich tradition by offering the highest quality smoked salmon available anywhere.

Click here to try one of our mouth watering wild Alaskan salmon fillets!

Fairhaven Bay Seafood… Simply the best.