FAQ 
Frequently Asked Questions

Where do we catch our salmon?

In the pristine cold waters of the Cook Inlet in Alaska, next to the Kenai Peninsula. 

 

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How is our salmon caught?  

​We participate in the Upper Cook Inlet Commercial Drift Gillnet Salmon Fishery.  We stretch a long net out in the water behind our boat and catch fish in the net while our boat and net drift in the ocean. After about 45 minutes, we pull our net back onto the boat and pick fish out of the net.

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How do we ensure the quality of our salmon?

Once the salmon is on our boat, we immediately place the salmon into our insulated boat hold into slush bags which hold ice and ocean water. This process helps cool down the fish to less than 38 degrees Fahrenheit. After a day of fishing, we head to the dock to offload our salmon and transport it to a local State of Alaska approved fish processing facility where our salmon are processed right away and then frozen, locking in the freshness of our catch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is our salmon fishery sustainable?

During fishing season, state and federal agencies monitor the amount of salmon heading up the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers, counting the fish using weirs, sonars, and counting towers. Typically about half a million to a million sockeye salmon per each of these rivers will "escape" all fishermen (commercial and recreational fishermen) in order to spawn (lay and fertilize eggs) upstream in the river to maintain a healthy salmon population for future generations. Fishermen are allowed to catch the excess salmon in the Cook Inlet that are heading for the rivers, once the government agencies determine that there are enough salmon to meet escapement goals. This process helps assure that we maintain a sustainable fishery. 

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In our fishery, we catch both "wild" and "hatchery stock" salmon, which are both defined as "wild caught".  What does this mean?

From the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute:  Fish "hatcheries in Alaska were carefully designed to SUPPLEMENT or ENHANCE existing wild salmon fisheries in Alaska. Alaska hatcheries were NOT designed to REPLACE wild salmon fisheries due to habitat loss and other issues related to human encroachment on habitat like most hatcheries in the United States. Colonization (or straying) is a natural part of the salmon life cycle, so hatcheries are required to use LOCALLY ADAPTED STOCKS from nearby rivers and streams to maintain the natural genetic mixing
of salmon populations within an area."

"Unlike farmed salmon, Alaska hatcheries do not grow fish to adulthood, but incubate fertilized eggs and release resulting offspring as juveniles (i.e., fry or smolt) to grow in the wild. This is different from farmed salmon, that spend their entire life in a net pen or other controlled environment. Hatcheries give a ‘jump start’ to juvenile salmon by reducing mortality, providing protection from predation, and allowing them to mature from eggs before being released into the wild. On average, mortality is reduced from 90% to 10% for the juvenile salmon.  All Alaska salmon (wild or hatchery) are WILD CAUGHT, and all are ALASKA, by definition."

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What are the nutritional benefits of Alaskan sockeye/red salmon?

From the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute:  "Wild sockeye salmon provide marine derived Omega-3 fatty acids, essential to the human body.  DHA and EPA in wild Alaska sockeye salmon are the most studied, beneficial, and readily usable healthy fats for the body."

3.0 oz. of Alaska sockeye salmon provides: 
23 g PROTEIN (46% DV)
3.8 mcg VITAMIN B12 (158% DV)
730 mg OMEGA 3s DHA & EPA
14.2 mcg VITAMIN D (71% DV)

​DV = Daily Value // 3.0 oz = 85g
Source: USDA Standard Reference Release 28

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"Wild Alaska sockeye salmon are well known for the brilliant red hue their fillets possess both raw and after cooking. This is due to their natural diet of krill and plankton which possess a carotenoid pigment called astaxanthin. This powerful compound not only provides a deep color and strong (but not fishy) flavor, but also is an antioxidant, may help prevent cancer, promotes skin and heart health, and can alleviate joint pain."

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