5 VARIETIES OF ALASKA SALMON

The season for salmon in Southeast Alaska lasts for months because there are five varieties of Pacific salmon, and each one spawns at a different time, each carries its own trademarks: distinct size, flavor, texture, and each with its own value in the market. Sockeye, or red, salmon head to the spawning grounds first, and chum are the last to spawn.

Sockeye or Red Salmon: Sockeye have the most economical impact. They are high in quality and many people swear that it is best-tasting. It is also thought to be the best choice for making lox.

King or Chinook: This is the largest and least abundant of the Alaskan salmon varieties and it tastes great. Usually boasting red flesh, but it is possible to find white king as well.

Silver or Coho: This is the second largest breed of Pacific salmon. It is a fighting fish and so it is valued by sports fishermen. Restaurant owners like this breed because the fillets are sized perfectly and the flesh keeps its beautiful orange-red hue.

Pink or Humpy Salmon: These are the smallest of the five types of salmon. The humpy is by far the most abundant of all varieties, and nearly all pink salmon that is caught is then canned.

Chum Salmon: Until a few years ago these were the least commercially important of the Pacific salmon. However, a growing market has developed in Japan and Europe, and chum salmon are now being commercially harvested. out the salmon activity near the mouth of a river or stream. And the closer we came to that mouth the more we were surrounded by silver flashes popping out of the water. Those bright, shiny flashes were salmon, no doubt trying to avoid an unseen, underwater predator. But clearly not all of the salmon’s predators reside under water. Bald eagles staring from the tree tops, ready to swoop down and capture fishy morsels in their powerful talons, black and brown bears prowling the shores of streams and river beds, and, of course, fishermen, all contribute to the salmon’s fight for survival.

When the fish reached the river’s mouth, the water appeared to be boiling. Huge numbers of salmon and other varieties of fish fighting for position, bullied their way through the crowd up

to the graveled water beds where the females would deposit their eggs and the males would swim over to fertilize them. It was the end and also the beginning of this wondrous life cycle.

Alaskan commercial fishing boats also come in a wide range of sizes, shapes, colors, and conditions—old, very old, new or newer. Some are in prime condition and others are so rusted and worn out that I worried that they wouldn’t remain afloat, especially in Alaska’s tempestuous seas. No matter what the size or condition of the boat, you can tell how they go about catching fish by the equipment they carry on board.

Trollers are small boats with a crew of one or two men. They hand-set multi-hook lines from poles that are lowered out over the water. As the vessel moves through the fishing grounds, the fish are hooked, removed from the hook, gutted, and placed on ice until sold. King salmon are usually caught this way.

Gillnetters are small boats with one or two men onboard. They set long nets that have been designed so the fish will swim into them. The fish become tangled in the net and as the net is pulled onto the boat, the crew removes the fish and packs them on ice. Sockeye, chum, and coho are typically caught in this fashion.

Purse seiners are large vessels that work with an open skiff. With five or more crew members, seiners catch large quantities of fish. A large open net is set by a skiff that tows one end off the stern of the seiner while the other end of the net remains onboard. After a period of time, the two boats close into a circle which creates a “purse,” trapping the salmon. Pink salmon are caught this way.

Yes, it was a genuine Alaskan summer. We had lots of rain, mist, fog, an occasional tease of sunshine, and an abundance of magical moments. After the breaching whales, bears feeding, eagles soaring, and glaciers calving, however, our exposure to commercial salmon fishing left us with a new and curiositydriven approach to the seafood that we regularly eat. We were left fascinated by the salmon’s journey, where it came from, how it was raised, and how it was caught. It also left us with a deep respect for the fishermen who toil in Alaska’s marginal weather and unpredictable seas to bring that fresh, flavorful fish to our table.

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