Alaska salmon
First certified as sustainable in September 2000 and recertified November 2007.
Summary
Species: 5 salmon species have been certified:sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka), chum (Oncorhynchus keta), chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch), pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)
Location: Within US territorial waters adjacent to the coast of the State of Alaska.
Fishing methods: Nets (drift and set gillnets, purse seine), trolling and fishwheels.
Number of fisheries: 5 species divided into 16 units of certification.
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More about salmon
Salmon hatch in fresh water, spend part of their life in the ocean, and then migrate back to spawn in fresh water. All salmon die after spawning.
Chinook salmon is Alaska's state fish and is one of the most important sport and commercial fish native to the Pacific coast of North America. It is the largest of all Pacific salmon, with weights of individual fish commonly exceeding 30 pounds (13 kg).
Chum salmon are the most abundant commercially harvested salmon species in arctic, northwestern, and Interior Alaska.
Coho salmon usually weigh 8 to 12 pounds and are 24 to 30 inches long.
Pink salmon is the smallest of the Pacific salmon found in North America with an average weight of about 3.5 to 4 pounds and average length of 20-25 inches.
Sockeye salmon support one of the most important commercial fisheries on the Pacific coast of North America, are increasingly sought after in recreational fisheries, and is an important mainstay of many subsistence users.
More about the fishing methods
Salmon are harvested by nets (drift and set gillnets, purse seine), trolling and fishwheels. Trolling is fishing by drawing a baited line or lure behind a boat. A fishwheel operates much as a water-powered mill wheel. The baskets on the wheel capture fish traveling upstream. The fish caught in the baskets fall into a holding tank.
Fishery tonnage
287,000 metric tonnes
Commercial market
Roughly one quarter of the harvest is sockeye salmon, followed by chum, coho and chinook salmon. In product value, sockeye salmon has always been the primary species. In recent years more than 80 percent has been sold whole or eviscerated. Seventy-five percent of the fresh or frozen product is exported, with Japan purchasing about 80 percent. The canned product is sold primarily within Europe and the United States although more recently fresh and smoked product has been more widely available in these markets.
