That sweet spot at the start of Alaska summer salmon fisheries known as the Copper River fishery has commercial harvesters more hopeful than usual in 2023, with some 446,264 fish harvested to date and the retail demand holding steady six weeks into its finite run.
“Overall people are very happy for a good start of the season, and also relieved after many seasons of concerning runs,” said Jess Rude, executive director of Cordova District Fishermen United.
“It’s been really great,” Rude said of the first six openers of the Copper River District. “The fishing is good. I think it will be a really good summer.”
Preliminary data on the first seven openers in the Alaska Department of Fish and Games’ Copper River District showed a catch of around 446,264 fish, including 424,979 sockeyes, 13,035 chums, 8,234 Chinooks, and 16 pink salmon.
Eager Copper River salmon aficionados in Anchorage are snapping up orders of Copper River sockeye fillets priced at $18.95 a pound, and headed and gutted reds at $11.95 a pound, to get their fill while the fish is available.
New Sagaya in Anchorage was offering five pounds of fresh Copper River sockeye fillets for $199.00.
While millions more wild Alaska salmon are yet to be harvested before summer’s end, Copper River salmon have a long-coveted cachet all their own among lovers of Alaska’s wild seafood.
At Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, orders of Copper River salmon are averaging about five pounds. Consumers were encouraged to preorder and lock in the price, because once the option to pre-order closes, the prices will likely go up, the company advised.
As of Monday, prices were holding at $29.99 a pound for fillets of fresh wild Copper River sockeyes, and $79.99 a pound for fish wild Copper River king fillets. Whole, four-pound Copper River sockeyes were $99.99 apiece, and whole kings were $549.99 apiece.
Copper River Seafoods was offering a Father’s Day special of 10% off on all seafood products with the promo code FATHERSDAY10 at checkout, and free shipping on orders of at least $350. Additionally, two eight-ounce portions of Copper River reds were on sale for $24.99—down from Copper River kings at $74.95 a pound—and premium portions of sockeyes for $54.95 a pound.
