To continue to provide the highest assurance of responsible fisheries management, Alaska fisheries are currently undergoing a rigorous third-party certification process. This certification is being conducted by Global Trust Certification, Ltd., an internationally recognized and accredited certification body and leader in seafood standards development. Each major Alaska fishery will be assessed for conformance to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the FAO Guidelines for Ecolabelling Fishery Products. The substantive requirements of the FAO Code and Guidelines are the world's most widely recognized sustainability principles. Certification work is well underway for Alaska fisheries. Initial site visits have occurred, where Global Trust met with resource managers and industry stakeholders. The first of the certifications is expected to be completed in early 2011.

To monitor the progress of the certification, we encourage you to check out the new Certification section on the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute's (ASMI) website. Here you will find:

• The latest progress reports for each of the major Alaska fisheries
• External resources under review by Global Trust
• Information on the certification standards
• A Global Trust company overview

Also, be sure to check out the Sustainability News section for relevant seafood industry news articles and fisheries management announcements from the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, the International Pacific Halibut Commission, and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Alaska's 2010 summer salmon season kicked off on May 13th and will run through October. Alaskans project to harvest 137 million wild Alaska salmon during this year's fishing season. The projections by species are:

• Alaska King Salmon: 515,000
• Alaska Sockeye Salmon: 45,762,000
• Alaska Coho Salmon: 4,358,000
• Alaska Keta Salmon: 17,970,000
• Alaska Pink Salmon: 69,098,000

As of July 30th, almost 74 million Alaska salmon have been harvested so far.

Alaska is home to five species of wild salmon: king, sockeye, coho, keta, and pink, and Alaska supplies over 90% of the wild salmon harvested in North America.

All salmon in Alaska are wild. This allows salmon to mature at a natural pace, and swim freely in the pristine waters off Alaska's rugged 34,000-mile coastline. The flavor and color characteristics of wild Alaska salmon come from feeding on a natural diet of marine organisms. Their firm texture is the result of annual migrations in the cold North Pacific.

Salmon remains one of America's favorite seafood menu items. Each species of Alaska salmon is unique in flavor, color, and texture, offering chefs endless opportunities in the kitchen.

To learn more about the five species of Alaska salmon, including cooking tips, detailed nutritional profiles, harvest methods, and dozens of recipes, visit www.alaskaseafood.org

Sources: Alaska Department of Fish & Game Harvest Projections for 2010 Alaska Commercial Salmon Fisheries; Alaska Department of Fish & Game 2010 Preliminary Alaska Commercial Salmon Catches, 07/30/10