Alaska Summer Salmon Harvest Season is Underway
The wild Alaska summer salmon harvest season begins Thursday, May 18, signaling the natural return of the fish through an annual migration cycle. This year’s harvest is forecasted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game at more than 204 million salmon.
“Every year, hundreds of million Alaska salmon complete their homeward journey from the icy ocean waters of the North Pacific to Alaska’s vast grid of rich rivers and streams,” said Jeremy Woodrow, communications director, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI). “Alaska fishermen follow the best sustainability practices in the world, responsibly harvesting the fish for the world to enjoy and ensuring that Alaska salmon will always remain wild and sustainable. Later this summer, we will also celebrate the official Alaska Wild Salmon Day on August 10.”
Wild Alaska sockeye, king, pink, keta and coho salmon supply nearly 95 percent of the wild salmon harvested in the U.S.
The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) is a partnership of the State of Alaska and the Alaska seafood industry promoting the benefits of wild and sustainable Alaska seafood and offering seafood industry education. The seafood industry is Alaska’s largest private sector employer with nearly 60 percent of all seafood and 90-95 percent of wild salmon harvested in the U.S. coming from Alaska.
(Photo courtesy of Wild Alaska Seafood)
