The Salmon are coming!

Greetings Fishies!

Copper River salmon is beginning to show up in the market and on restaurant menus. At right is one of the logos you should become familiar with and even ask to see.

Here are some articles for you:

From The Highliner, Wes Loy’s blog:

Bad weather, big prices in Copper River salmon opener

Posted: May 15, 2007 - 6:50 pm

Here’s the box score from opening day on the Copper River.

• 1,384 kings
• 21,274 reds

Crappy weather crimped the catch, along with regulatory closures in some inside waters where the kings lurk. The Department of Fish and Game had expected an opening day catch of 4,121 kings and 21,497 reds.

The day saw 318 deliveries, which suggests some of the 500-boat gillnet fleet either sat out the opener or fared poorly in the foul weather.

My colleague T.C. Mitchell tapped a few trusted sources for information on prices.

One major Cordova processor, NorQuest Seafoods, paid $6.75 a pound at the dock for kings and $4.50 for reds. That’s 20 cents better than last year for kings and 10 cents better for reds. read more »

News Brief: Copper River Opening a Tough Day

CORDOVA, Alaska -- The first day of the Copper River (Alaska) salmon season was a mess. Winds blew up to 40 knots. Visibility was horrible. Celebrity chefs and not-so-famous chefs gathered to eyeball what has become a culinary milestone of each passing year: the first big salmon run.

Strong winds and high waves kept most of the fishermen out of open water, where sockeye are most often caught. In Chinook waters, the wind blew gillnets tight, allowing many fish to escape before entangling themselves.

Many skippers simply gave up. Others stuck it out but landed only minimal catches.

Pricing was similar to last year: $3.75 for sockeye and $6 for Chinook, with retail prices to be more than $20 a pound.

The Fish Wrap– Pacific Fishing

Alaska Airlines Delivers Coveted Copper River Salmon To Seattle And Beyond

(WebWire) 5/16/2007 10:35:51 PM

First freighter packed to the gills with fish touches down at dawn; Airline will fly up to 160,000 pounds by day’s end

SEATTLE — Alaska Airlines’ Boeing 737-400 freighter arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport just after sunrise, packed to the gills with more than 32,000 pounds of Copper River salmon. The arrival of Copper River salmon is anticipated by seafood lovers in a growing number of cities nationwide.

Alaska will deliver up to 160,000 pounds of the coveted fish today on eight dedicated flights from Cordova, Alaska, to Seattle. After arriving in Seattle, much of the fish will depart on flights to cities across the country — from Los Angeles to Boston.

WebWire | Alaska Airlines Delivers Coveted Copper River Salmon To Seattle And Beyond

Stay tuned!

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