Wild Alaskan salmon season is here with Copper River salmon in the spotlight
- Juraj Kusnir
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
It’s a tradition to kiss your first Copper River salmon of the year. The fishermen do it, the processors do it, and if the rest of the stakeholders in this unique industry had access to the fish with its head on, they would probably kiss it too. Copper River salmon is special.
Every summer, Copper River is the first fishing district to be opened for commercial wild Alaskan salmon fishing. This year, the magic date of the first Copper River salmon “opener”, as everyone calls the period of time when fishing is allowed, is May 22nd. The nets will go in the water at 7 am, and they have to be completely out by 7 pm.
It's a celebration and a race
The first day of fishing “on the flats” (nickname for the Copper River fishing area) is like no other. It’s the first true test of your boat, gear, skills, and luck. And on the first day, the fish is as expensive as it will be all year. The pressure is on, and nobody wants to miss this day.
Journalists, seafood buyers, chefs, and other fish enthusiasts often travel to Cordova, AK, to witness the festivities of the first opener (the Copper River salmon fishing district is next to Cordova, and all the fishing boats in the fleet originate in this harbor). The atmosphere is electric as the fleet gets blessed by various religious figures, ensuring every possible deity is on the fishermen's side this year.
The boats start leaving the harbor the day before the actual fishing starts. Because once it starts, it’s like a race. You want the spot that you think is the best. It combines the tides, experience, intuition, superstition, and many other factors. Last year the fish were in this spot, next year they might be elsewhere. At the end of the day, nobody knows for sure. Mother Nature has the upper hand in this battle.
How does Copper River make this salmon so special?
Copper River salmon is not just the first wild Alaskan salmon available each year. It’s also considered to be the best. To understand why, we must understand the wild salmon's life cycle. They are born in fresh water, in little creeks and streams. They live at their place of birth and get stronger. Once nature calls, they embark on an amazing journey. They swim down the river system to the ocean, where they live for 2 to 7 years (depending on the salmon species). In the ocean, they swim thousands of miles during this period with only one goal – to survive and get strong enough to return to where they were born. Yes, after swimming all around the northern Pacific Ocean for years, they find their way back to exactly that creek where they were born, and if everything goes as planned, they spawn and then die. And the life cycle continues.
This is why Copper River salmon became the best commercially harvested salmon in the world.
The banks of the Copper River are lined with many glaciers, making the water freezing cold. At the same time, there are many sections where the river becomes narrow and the current is incredibly strong. Copper River salmon have to swim up this exceptionally strong and cold river for 300 miles to get to their spawning grounds, so they have to build a very strong layer of fat to have enough energy to make it. Salmon fat equals precious Omega-3s and flavor, texture, and a huge bag of critical nutrients.
The true number one superfood is the Copper River King salmon. The sheer size of this fish makes it look beautiful, and the exceptionally high fat content makes the meat silky, buttery, and rich. Nothing can beat the Copper River King salmon.
Not everyone is lucky enough to get their hands on the Copper River King. The season is fairly short, and the fish is as rare as it is healthy and delicious. No wonder the price can go over $120 per pound during the first opener.
The second-best option is the Copper River Sockeye salmon. While many wild sockeye are harvested all around Alaska, the Copper River Sockeye stands out. Yes, you guessed it – it has higher fat levels than sockeyes from other regions. It boosts your health and taste buds, packed in a beautiful red piece of salmon meat.
Treat it like gold, because it is.
While the nutrients and Omega-3 values make all Copper River salmon stand out amongst other wild Alaskan salmon, it’s not all that makes it special.
The fleet permitted to fish the Copper River district knows they’re not dealing with just any salmon. It’s the top of the wild Alaskan salmon world and deserves treatment like royalty.
The Copper River fishermen take their time handling the fish; they take them out of the nets by hand, efficiently, but with precision to ensure there is no damage to the meat. Fish then go to a so-called slushed ice – a mixture of flaked ice and water- keeping them at a perfect temperature until they reach the processing plant, where they’re immediately processed and shipped to the world.
So the next time you’re grilling out and watching the white fat slowly marbling out on a beautiful piece of Copper River salmon, you know this fish went through a remarkable journey to end up on your plate. Everyone involved in the chain of events leading up to you enjoying a piece of the Copper River salmon gave it just a little extra love and attention. And that's how you know you're in for a very special treat.
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