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King Salmon

Species Three

Also known as Chinook, wild Alaska king salmon is prized for its color, high oil content, firm texture and succulent flesh.

 

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Scientific Name: Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, also known as Chinook salmon

#1

The Alaska king salmon fishery is the largest wild-capture king fishery on earth.

~10K

There are somewhere between 9,000-10,000 vessels fishing for salmon in Alaska each year.

126lbs

The largest of the 5 Pacific salmon ever recorded was an Alaska king salmon, caught in Petersburg, Alaska in 1949. It weighed 126lbs!

Nutrition

Protein
22g
Vitamin B-12
2.4mcg (100% DV)
Omega 3
1476mg
Carbohydrate
0g
Alaska king salmon wears the crown when it comes to long chain omega-3 fatty acids DHA & EPA.

Wild king salmon provide marine derived omega-3 fatty acids, essential to the human body. DHA and EPA in wild Alaska king salmon are the most studied, beneficial, and readily usable healthy fats for the body.

Benefits of DHA and EPA are improved heart health, improved brain function and they are vital nutrient for growth and development of prenatal babies and infants.

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

Harvesting & Seasonality

Wild Alaska King salmon are available fresh or frozen year-round.

Seasonality & Harvesting 4

King salmon are harvested by two different methods: gillnetting and trolling.

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Sustainability & Environment

In Alaska, the future of wild king salmon and the environment are more important than the immediate opportunities for harvest.

As a wild resource, there is variability in the number of salmon that return to freshwater to spawn annually. Managers in Alaska set ‘escapement goals’ using the best science available to ensure enough fish return safely to the freshwater spawning grounds to reproduce. Biologists account for natural fluctuations in returns of salmon by managing the fisheries in-season to ensure the sustainability of Alaska’s wild coho salmon.

This principle of sustainability is written into Alaska’s state constitution. In Alaska, fish are to be ‘utilized, developed, and maintained on the sustainable yield principle,’ ensuring wild king salmon inhabit Alaska waters for generations to come.

The sustainability of king salmon harvested in Alaska is an international effort. Alaska king salmon harvest levels follow the Pacific Salmon Treaty implemented by the Pacific Salmon Commission.

Certification

The Alaska king salmon fishery is certified under two independent certification standards for sustainable fisheries:

King Salmon have a complex life cycle; hatching and living in fresh water for 2 years and spending between 1 and 5 years in the ocean before returning to freshwater to spawn.

As a wild-capture fishery, Alaska king salmon are harvested from and then transported to processing facilities located in small fishing communities scattered along Alaska’s coastline. The Alaska king salmon fishery is the largest wild-capture king fishery on earth.

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Product Forms & Availability

Alaska king salmon is available both fresh and frozen in the following product forms: whole, or dressed whole without the head, in portions, fillets, canned and smoked.

Have you ever heard of an ivory king salmon? While most kings have meat that is a vivid red, around 1 in 20 process their dietary pigment differently, resulting in white meat. While nutritionally identical, the ivory flesh is even more densely oiled than a standard king, resulting in a super-premium product with a buttery and lavish flavor.

Find Alaska king salmon in your local grocer in the frozen section as well as in the fresh case seasonally. Unsure about origin? Just #AskforAlaska.

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Cooking

This velvety and rich fish lends itself to baking, broiling, grilling, poaching, sautéing, smoking, sushi/sashimi, roasting, and steaming.

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