Tag Archives: Copper River salmon
2022 Copper River Salmon Season Launches on May 16th
It’s official. Alaska’s Copper River commercial salmon season will begin on Monday, May 16th, when the region’s commercial fishermen will be allowed to set their nets for a twelve-hour opener to harvest the revered king and sockeye salmon from the icy glacial fed waters of the Copper River Delta. Sustainably harvested according to strict guidelines set by the State of Alaska, Copper River wild salmon, king, sockeye, and coho, are renowned worldwide for good reason. High in protein and naturally rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, Copper River salmon return to the region’s massive Delta each year from May to September, making the journey up the steep glacial fed waters. >click to read< 08:54
“We’ve been sitting on the beach for 16 days” – Copper River salmon fishery reopens
“We are back to getting into the goal range,” said Jeremy Botz, finfish area management biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Cordova. “I think we are seeing a late compressed run. I still feel it is a relatively small run, but higher than in 2018 and 2020.”,, While eager to be fishing again, veteran Cordova harvesters felt they should have been allowed out on the grounds earlier to get a better handle on what the run, albeit late and maybe compressed, was really stacking up to be.,, Cordova harvester John Renner said the fleet should have been used earlier to collect data, to see if the run was weak or strong, rather than just waiting for the sonar count. “We’ve been sitting on the beach for 16 days,” >click to read< 14:15
The world’s finest salmon season is now under way
Today officially inaugurates Alaska’s summer salmon season with the opening of the first Copper River salmon fishing period of the 2021 season. Beginning at 7 am, the Copper River fishing fleet, comprised of 540 small-boat, independent commercial fishing permit holders will have the opportunity to harvest highly-prized Copper River king and sockeye salmon during a short 12-hour window. Today’s catch will be delivered to Cordova’s shore-based seafood processors and flown fresh to companies and individuals across the country who have reserved exclusive rights to the season’s first fish. >click to read< 21:19
Retailers post prices for Copper River salmon
As commercial harvesters brace for the famed Copper River salmon fishery set to open in mid-May, with indications of a declining run, they’re hoping for the best, forecasts notwithstanding, and aficionados of the oil-rich fish are lining up to order. “It is that time of year when the phone is ringing off the hook for the Copper River season,” said Hilary Branyik at Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle.,, 60° North Seafoods in Cordova has not set its Alaska retail price yet, but for its sales through Sena Sea Seafoods in Washington state the preorder price is $54 a pound for sockeye fillets and $68 a pound for king fillets. >click to read< 12:38
Copper River salmon harvest flows into marketplace
Since the Copper River salmon commercial fishery opened on May 16, harvesters have brought in upwards of 180,000 fish. Preliminary data compiled by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s office in Cordova as of Tuesday, May 28, put the count at upwards of 168,336 red, 7,041 king and 4,710 chum salmon brought in during a total of 1,764 deliveries by the drift gillnet fleet.,,, Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle had whole Copper River kings for $39.95 a pound, Copper River king fillets for $49.99 a pound, Copper River sockeyes at $99.95 per fish and Copper River sockeye fillets for $29.99 a pound. >click to read<17:30
Alaskans enjoy the journey of the first Copper River salmon of the year
Thursday morning Skip Winfree from 10th & M Seafood climbed into an Alaska Central Express plane along with a Channel 2 crew to chase the salmon in Cordova. Excitement filled the air. After a 45 minute flight over snowcapped mountains the plane landed at one of the fishing capitols of Alaska. How many salmon would be caught? How big would the kings be this year? Text messages starting rolling in from fishermen with 60 North Seafoods. It was good news. click to read<09:22
Copper failure
The commercial fishing season for Copper River salmon – the most coveted of Alaska fish – is shaping up as a disaster for the isolated fishing community of Cordova. Prices paid to fishermen are now reported at $9.50 per pound for prime fish, but there just aren’t many fish to be had and most of them are small. “Absolutely unprecedented” is how Stormy Haught, the area research biologists for Alaska Department of Fish and Game described the situation Wednesday. Haught is well aware of the long, detailed history of Cooper River commercial fisheries because he’s been back through all the data looking for a parallel to this season that might indicate to fishery managers how they can expect the run to play out going forward. >click to read<08:18
It’s here! First batch of Copper River Salmon arrives in Seattle
It’s that time of year again when Copper River salmon arrives in Seattle! More than 16,000 pounds of the tasty fish arrived at Sea-Tac Airport early Friday morning, with the first fish triumphantly raised above the flight captain’s hands upon arrival. Three more Alaska Airlines flights were inbound from Cordova, Alaska Friday, delivering an additional 48,000 pounds of salmon to the market, where it will then be delivered to restaurants and grocery stores across the country. >click to read<13:19
The $75 king fillet: Copper River salmon fetch big money at market
The first Copper River salmon of the year are fetching a hefty price on some market shelves in Alaska and Outside, thanks in part to what’s expected to be a weak run of the prized fish. At Seattle’s Pike Place Fish Market, which draws tourists in droves to watch its famed fish-tossers, fillets of Copper River kings sold for $75 per pound this week. Jason Scott, a manager at the Pike Place Fish Market, said that whopping price tag on a king fillet is a little higher than it was last year, when it was around $60 to $70 per pound. That number drops as the season goes on and more salmon flow into the market. “Everything is crazy,” he said. “All of our orders are people who have been buying fish from us for a long time. They don’t bat an eye at the price. I’m not saying we know that and take advantage of it, but each of us has a customer here who wants the biggest one.” click here to read the story 10:26
Millennial fishermen and women carry out an Alaska state tradition on the Copper River Delta
Cordova is only accessible by boat or plane. It’s a place where neighbors take care of one another, all united by passion for their community and the land they call home. This humble town is home to a world-class fishery: the Copper River. Like most things in Cordova, the salmon fishery is largely independent, and the operation is as local as the shops and restaurants that line Main Street. More than 540 independent boats fish for Copper River salmon each year. These boats, known as bow pickers, are manned by one to two fishermen who cast their nets over the bow and then hand-pick the salmon off as they reel the net in. Nets stretch 900 feet long and are mended by hand. And, many of those boats are owned by increasingly younger generations of fishermen and women. Click here to read the story 16:57
Copper River salmon return may not be huge, but at least they’re en route
After a long hard winter, Alaska’s commercial salmon fishing season officially gets underway in less than two weeks. The first big fishery for sockeye and king salmon is set for May 18 at Copper River, and the town of Cordova is buzzing, said Christa Hoover, executive director of the Copper River/Prince William Sound Marketing Association. “The mood changes at the start of May with all the folks back in town and boats going in and out of the water,” she said. Enthusiasm among the fleet of more than 500 drift gillnetters has not been dampened by a reduced harvest projection. Fishery managers expect a Copper River salmon catch this season of just 889,000 sockeyes, 4,000 kings and 207,000 coho salmon. “Regardless of the forecast from one year to the next, fishermen just want to have their nets in the water. It’s what they do and they are ready to go,” Hoover said. click here to read the story 08:34
Alaska Airlines delivers 80,000 lbs. of the first Copper River salmon of the season to Seattle
Alaska Airlines has delivered more than 80,000 pounds of fresh Copper River salmon to Seattle on four Alaska Air Cargo flights, marking the beginning of the summer salmon-grilling season, anticipated by seafood lovers throughout the Pacific Northwest, the company said. Every year, Alaska Air Cargo partners with the state of Alaska´s three largest seafood processors, Ocean Beauty Seafoods, Trident Seafoods and Copper River Seafoods, to bring the fish to Seattle and Anchorage, Alaska, where it will then be shipped to restaurants and grocery stores throughout the Pacific Northwest, United States and points beyond. Alaska Airlines supports the Alaska seafood industry, which is recognized for its sustainable fishing practices. The airline flew more than 20 million pounds of fresh Alaska seafood last year, including more than one million pounds of Copper River salmon. Read the rest here 17:14
The countdown is on for fresh Copper River salmon.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has announced the first opening of the Copper River salmon fishing season. The opener is scheduled for 12 hours beginning at 7:00 am and closing at 7:00 pm on Monday, May 16, 2016. As with all Alaska fisheries, the name of the game is sustainability. Fishery managers must be confident that the run is on track to meet escapement goals (the number of salmon that must make it to the spawning grounds to ensure long-term health of the run) before they provide fishing opportunity. Commercial salmon fishermen have fished Copper River salmon for well over a century, which provides fishery managers a wealth of historical data. Throughout the years, an opening date near May 15 has provided for sustainable yield. Read the rest here 10:00
Anchorage, Seattle greet first fish of Copper River salmon season
The ceremonial first fish of the Copper River salmon season has arrived in Seattle on an airplane from Alaska. Thousands of pounds of salmon arrived on an Alaska Airlines jet painted like a giant fish on Friday morning at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Fishing season on Alaska’s Copper River Delta began this week. Seattle eaters as well as restaurant chefs look forward to the delicious fish to arrive soon after the first fish come out of the water. Video, Read the rest here 12:02
Anticipation Builds as Copper River Salmon Season Approaches
The Copper River Salmon run kicks off the wild salmon season in the Prince William Sound region of Alaska, delighting diners in top restaurants across the United States. Beginning in April, fishermen begin gearing up their boats for another season on the Copper River. Renowned for its remarkable flavor and high Omega-3 content, the Copper River Sockeye run lasts from mid-May until August and continues into the fall when the Copper River Coho salmon run begins. Read the rest here 09:13
“simply the best fish in the world.” Royalty. Copper River salmon shall arrive in Seattle on Friday
The 
will open for the season Thursday morning and the first fish is expected to arrive at Sea-Tac at 6 a.m. Friday. But the demand will be high because of the short open fishing period. The open window for the Copper River District is only 12 hours on Thursday, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Gave Division of Commercial Fisheries Read more here 18:06
