Salmon Runs in Alaska
Salmon Runs in Alaska
Sustainability
Wild vs Farmed Salmon
each year millions of...
salmon return into the SE Alaska region and we harvest only the excess since a small percentage of any given return is needed to “parent” the next cycle. Depending upon the species, salmon return on a 2-6 year intervals.
If we didn't harvest the excess, those extra salmon would simply die in the streams without room to spawn. We harvest them well beforehand, thereby providing a quality product for human consumption while fitting perfectly into the balance of nature. This is a purely sustainable equilibrium carefully managed through responsible cooperation between state and federal management, processors and harvesters like us. We are proud to be part of an industry that shares such a beautiful symmetry with nature while at the same time bringing such a high quality protein source to your own home.
Some wild salmon runs in SE are developed through enhancement and hatchery systems which, though also completely natural do benefit from human assistance through hatchery plants protecting the juvenile salmon during the first months of life, thereby reducing loss through harsh winter conditions.
But farmed salmon are different from wild and enhanced salmon. Premier Seafood does not sell farmed salmon (typically marketed as “Atlantic Salmon”) grown in pens throughout the salmon's entire life. These are mostly found in Chile, Norway and New Zealand though some fish farms are found in Washington state and British Columbia. Fish farms have recently been allowed by the FDA to genetically alter the farmed salmon to accelerate their growth rate, thereby reducing their cost. However, many health specialists have yet to weigh in on the long term reliability of genetically altered seafood.
Alaska does not and has never permitted salmon farming within the state. Therefore any salmon from Alaska is fully natural and grown in the wild so that you, as consumer, can be sure your buying only the best.
Alaska is committed to managing fisheries seeing the ocean as an entire "eco-system" with interdependent sea life thereby avoiding over fishing, requiring minimal by-catch and managing for long-term sustainability.