Newsletter Home     Industry Bite     Wild Watch     Featured Articles     Recipe of the Month     Order Materials Summer's A'Coming and the Salmon Are Running! Alaska Department of Fish and Game Opens the Stikine and Copper Rivers The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) announces the kick-off of the 2006 summer salmon season with the opening of the Stikine River on May 1 and the Copper River on May 15, 2006. The Bristol Bay, Cook Inlet, Kotzebue Sound, Norton Sound, Kodiak, Aleutian Islands, Southeast Alaska, Yakutat, Price William Sound and Alaska Peninsula fishing areas will have salmon openings through June and July. The summer salmon season typically runs through early fall so offer your customers wild Alaska Salmon from all over the state, as fresh stocks become available. The King and Sockeye Salmon that arrive in early May are the first salmon of the season to return to the rivers and streams of Alaska. Coho, Ketas and Pinks will follow in June. The icy cold, clean waters of the North Pacific and a natural marine diet produce some of the richest, most naturally succulent salmon in the world. Indeed, they are uniquely noted for their firm, bright red flesh and full flavor. The extra oils and fat that they carry to fuel them on their migration to their spawning grounds also create a fish rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. As the first salmon of the season become available, retailers can add excitement to their seafood counters this summer by offering an abundance of fresh, wild-caught Alaska Salmon. Seafood managers and customers alike have long known the flavor and nutritional appeal of these fabled fish. Now, the public is increasingly aware of the ease and versatility of preparation options for wild Alaska Salmon -- which adds enticing seasonal options to the concept of eating seafood twice a week. From cedar planking to grilling with marinades, rubs and glazes, consumers are warming up their grills. The opening of the salmon fishery makes this an exciting time of year for retailers as consumers flock to their seafood counters to include wild Alaska Salmon on their menus all summer long. Alaska's consistently wild and abundant stocks of King (also known as Chinook), Sockeye (also known as Red), Coho, Keta and Pink Salmon, as well as all wild Alaska Seafood, are due to effective and precise management. Alaska is the only state in the nation whose constitution mandates that all fish shall be utilized, developed and maintained on a sustainable yield principle. Strict quotas and fishing regulations ensure that Alaska will have an abundance of seafood for years to come. Harvesting of wild Alaska Salmon is carefully planned and executed. Local fisheries managers are given authority to open and close fisheries to achieve two goals. The overriding goal is conservation to ensure an adequate escapement of spawning stocks that ensure a robust return in following years. The secondary goal is an allocation of fish to various user groups based upon management plans developed by the Alaska Board of Fisheries. This plan is developed in open, public meetings after considering public testimony and advice from various scientists, advisors, fishermen and user interest groups. This planning and careful monitoring ensures the needs of the harvest are balanced with the needs of the ecosystem. Limits are precisely calculated to make certain Alaska Salmon stocks are in continuous, ever-replenished supply. Indeed, Alaska is considered a model of sustainability for the world. The Marine Stewardship Council recognizes the Alaska Salmon, Halibut, Pollock, Black Cod and longline Cod fisheries as managed to ensure sustainability of its stocks and its marine environment.