The summer harvest season for the five species of wild Alaska salmon has officially kicked off, with the first catches of sockeye and king already landed. In June fishing for pink, keta and coho salmon will begin and continue through October.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) has predicted that 2015 will yield the largest sockeye salmon harvest since 1995 – an expected increase of 33% from the 2014 haul. Additionally, it has posted the largest pink salmon forecast on record. Overall, this year is expected to see the second-largest Alaska salmon harvest in history, with a 40% total increase over 2014.
Joseph Emerson snapped this award-winning salmon catch picture, judged Best Fish Photo in a contest sponsored by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. It was taken in waters off Jakobi Island in Southeastern Alaska.
More than 90% of the wild salmon caught in the United States comes from Alaska. The epic harvest season will create more widespread availability nationwide and abroad of frozen as well as non-frozen forms of the popular fish just in time for the summer grilling season. All species of Alaska salmon are available frozen year-round thanks to industrial flash-freezing techniques, which preserve high quality and nutritional benefits for an extended period.
Salmon processed by Peter Pan Seafoods are harvested in fisheries of the North Pacific from Alaska to the Puget Sound. King salmon can weigh more than 50 pounds. Most varieties, however, typically range between 4 and 12 pounds.“This banner harvest year will enable more consumers to purchase wild Alaska salmon,” said Tyson Fick, communications director at the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI). “When buyers see the Alaska name, they can trust the salmon is wild, sustainable, and of exceptional quality. Alaska’s constitution mandates sustainability and our science-based fishery management practices are considered a model for the world.”
About ASMI
The Juneau-headquartered Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute is a partnership of the State of Alaska and the Alaska seafood industry. Administered by Executive Director Michael Cerne, the organization works to promote the benefits of wild and sustainable Alaska fishery products worldwide. The seafood industry is Alaska’s largest private sector employer, as the state’s bountiful waters account for more than 40% of the global commercial catch of fishery products. In addition to salmon, other valuable species include halibut, pollock, cod, sole/founder, rockfish, king, snow and Dungeness crab, shrimp, oysters and scallops.
ASMI recently named Barry Collier, chief executive officer of Peter Pan Seafoods, Inc., as chairman of its board, and Tomi Marsh, a Ketchikan harvester, as vice chairman. They respectively replaced Kevin Adams, a Bristol Bay fisherman, and Mark Palmer, president of Ocean Beauty Seafoods, whose terms were up.
