Wild Salmon Cycle:The life of a
salmon at first glance does not appear terribly interesting,
but it is in fact quite remarkable. Salmon begin their lives
developing in translucent and circular shaped eggs nestled
in freshwater stream and river gravel beds. After about a
three month incubation period, the salmon hatch as orphans
and begin the art of survival.
During this early developmental stage salmon are called "Alevin".
They are approximately one inch long and reside in the
gravel nests where they hatched for approximately one month
and survive off of the nutrient rich yolk from their egg
attached to their underside. When the yolk is fully absorbed
by their body, the salmon must venture out from their gravel
nests downstream to fend for themselves.
Salmon are called "Fry" after they "leave the nest". During
this stage, the salmon's body matures and takes on a more
developed fish-like image. This stage is crucial for the
salmon's survival as they are small, fending for their own
nutrition, and are easy prey to birds, other fish, etc.
After several month in the "Fry" stage, salmon enter the
"Parr" stage of their life. Parr are roughly six inches long
and undergo physical changes such as the development of
vertical markings on their sides. The Parr stage generally
lasts one to three years before the salmon hits "puberty"
and makes its way to the ocean.
The "Smolt" stage could be deemed the salmon's puberty. In
this stage, young salmon mature into adults losing their
vertical markings and turning a silvery hue. Like teenagers,
Smolt will group together with other salmon creating a
school. They migrate to the estuary where fresh water and
salt water blend. Here, they become accustomed to saltwater
conditions that they will encounter in their later home, the
sea. During this preparatory period, food is readily
available and salmon may double or even triple in weight
before migrating westward to the Gulf of Alaska or Bering
Sea as "adults".
Adult salmon may spend one to four years in the sea. During
this time adults grow to their full size, and develop
markings distinctive to their species.
By the time it is a salmon's time to spawn, some have swam
thousands of miles through the Pacific Ocean. Amazingly,
each salmon is able to navigate back to their place of birth
to spawn its next generation. Furthermore, they are able to
re-adapt to the freshwater conditions. It is this time when
salmon are most valued by fishermen due to their
accessibility and high fat content. From their long journey
back to fresh water from the sea, salmon quit eating and
sustain themselves on their substantial fat stores.
Once salmon reach their birthplace, the female clears a
place in the gravel bed with her tail creating a "redd" to
lay her eggs in. Then, the male fertilizes and protects the
eggs until both the female and he die.
Although, all salmon turn a brilliant color of deep red
during spawning, the pronounced morphological changes that
occur particularly in the male are significant. A somewhat
debilitating hook shaped growth develops on the upper jaw
preventing the mouth from fully closing and sharp canine
teeth develop both in the upper and lower jaw. In some
species, a hump develops behind the head.
It is obvious that a salmon's life is truly complex,
beautiful, and highly respectable. For these reasons and
their vulnerability during spawning season, well executed
salmon management is implemented in the state of Alaska.
Environmental and fishing regulations help protect spawning
grounds and ensure sizeable amounts of spawning salmon to
return to their natal streams. Currently in Alaska, the
department of Fish and Game conducts salmon studies and
manages over 15,000 salmon streams. In addition, Copper
River Seafood is proud that all salmon products from their
Cordova facility come from a fishery determined to be
Well-Managed in accordance with the Principles and Criteria
of the Marine Stewardship Council.
Seafood Recipes:
ALASKA WILD SALMON WITH ORANGE
POACHED ALASKA WILD SALMON WITH
SUN-DRIED TOMATO AND GINGER SAUCE
BLACKENED ALASKA WILD SALMON PO BOY
SANDWICH
CHAMPAGNE POACHED ALASKA WILD SALMON
LEMON GARLIC ALASKA WILD SALMON
ALASKA WILD SALMON BAKE WITH PECAN
CAJUN-STYLE ALASKA WILD SALMON
FIRECRACKER GRILLED ALASKA WILD SALMON
ALASKA WILD SALMON WITH RAINBOW PEPPERS
GINGER SESAME WILD ALASKA SALMON
SPICY GARLIC MARINADE FOR WILD SALMON
KLONDIKE PECAN ALASKA WILD SALMON
TANANA VALLEY ALASKA WILD SALMON
PAN-POACHED ALASKA WILD SALMON and
VEGETABLES
LEMON DILL ALASKA WILD SALMON
ORIENTAL ALASKA WILD SALMON
MARINATED ALASKA WILD SALMON SALAD
ALASKA WILD SALMON ROMANOFF
CURRY GRILLED ALASKA WILD SALMON
MARINATED MEDITERRANEAN WILD SALMON
STEAKS
TERIYAKI GRILLED WILD SALMON
WILD SALMON SPECIAL
HONEY MUSTARD GLAZED ALASKA WILD SALMON
STEAKS
HONEY LIME WILD SALMON KABOBS
QUICK KIPPERED WILD SALMON
Wild Salmon Wholesale:
100 lbs. Minimum Order (Any combination)
Wholesale available online for your
small to medium sized account. Have your Federal Tax ID ready to
order top grade Wild Alaskan Salmon. Shipped overnight from Kodiak
Alaska, these wild
salmon portions are one side skin, and individually wrapped in
vacuum packed industrial strength freezer bags. Buy frozen salmon
directly from the source, and see how your customers begin to come
back for more! |
