The 2010 Copper River wild salmon season opens on May 13th this year, signaling the start of Alaska’s spring and summer fresh salmon bonanza!

Though we have been bringing in some nice troll caught king salmon in on a sporadic basis, the opening of the Copper River season is the beginning of a steady flow of wild salmon from around the great state of Alaska.

The first mighty kings and delicious sockeye make their way to the lower 48 amid great hullabaloo!

What makes this fish so special? It’s the long and treacherous journey the salmon have to make to get back to their spawning grounds; one of the most difficult routes in Alaska! To prepare for their travels, the salmon have been building up their fat stores their entire lives – once they start the journey up-river the will not eat again, so you can only imagine what they might taste like…

They are harvested at the peak of deliciousness! The Cordova fleet puts a lot of effort into maintaining the quality of the fish they harvest. When you order Copper River salmon (either king or sockeye) from us you’ll notice immediately how beautiful these fish are. Careful handling, lots of fresh ice, strict sanitation practices – all these things come into play the second these fish come out of the water.

Strict seasonal openings and limitations on the type of gear used keep this fishery sustainable. Like all wild salmon harvested in Alaska, Copper River salmon are Marine Stewardship Council certified.

A variety of free marketing materials are available from The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute – they carry all kinds of POS items for retail markets (including recipes) along with sales and training materials for restaurants.