Scientific name
Oncorhynchus nerka (sockeye), O. gorbuscha (pink), O. keta (chum), O. kisutch (coho), O. tshawytscha (king)
Also known as
Red salmon, humpback salmon, keta, silver salmon, chinook
Main origins
USA (Alaska), Russia, Canada, Japan
Main season
May to September
Overview
About Pacific Salmon (Wild Alaska)
Five Pacific salmon species are harvested by gillnet, seine and troll in Alaskan waters as they return to their rivers to spawn. Sockeye has deep red, firm flesh with a pronounced flavour, king and coho are richer and higher in oil, while pink and chum are paler and milder.
Alaska supplies most of the wild salmon caught in the United States, and Bristol Bay is the world’s largest sockeye fishery. Sockeye and king serve premium fillet and portion markets, pink is widely canned and reprocessed, and chum supplies fillets and roe (ikura).
Key points
- Five wild species from Alaska
- Short summer harvest season
- MSC and RFM certified
- H&G, fillets, portions, roe
Origins
Where it comes from
USA (Alaska)
Main producing areas include Bristol Bay, Prince William Sound, Copper River, Kodiak and Southeast Alaska.
Russia
Large pink and sockeye harvests from Kamchatka and the Sea of Okhotsk.
Canada
British Columbia harvests sockeye, pink, chum and coho.
Available origins vary through the year. Contact us for current availability.
Specifications
Available formats
| Product forms | Headed and gutted (H&G), fillets skin on or skinless (PBI or PBO), portions, canned, roe (ikura, sujiko) |
| Sizes | Sockeye H&G 2/4, 4/6, 6/9, 9/up lb; fillets 1/3, 3/5 lb; other species graded by lb |
| Freezing | Frozen at shore plants or on processing vessels; glazed |
| Packing | Glazed and bagged H&G fish in master cartons; individually vacuum packed fillets and portions in cartons |
| Season | Fishing May to September, Bristol Bay sockeye peaking late June to mid July; frozen stock year round |
| Certifications | MSC (Alaska salmon), Alaska RFM |
Run sizes vary from year to year, and pink salmon volumes follow a two year cycle. Specifications are typical for the trade and vary by origin and supplier. We source to your exact requirements.
Interested in Pacific Salmon (Wild Alaska)?
Send us your specification, volumes and destination and we will come back to you with suitable offers.