Bristol Bay sockeye is coveted by knowledgeable seafood lovers around the world. Naturally rich in heart-healthy Omega 3s and bone-boosting vitamin D. Red, healthy and sustainable, the fish is available year round thanks to new and improved processing techniques. As a result, savvy cooks can find this wild salmon in fresh, frozen, canned, and smoked forms.
The Bristol Bay commercial driftnet salmon fishery is made up of 1,800 permit holders who hail from 37 states across the United States. Each boat represents a private, independent business, and each boat employs an additional 3-4 crew members, meaning that Bristol Bay’s salmon fishery is over 7,000 strong.
As the adult salmon migrate to Bristol Bay each summer to spawn, so do the commercial fishermen of Bristol Bay. As soon as fishermen arrive in the Bay, they are busy readying their boats for the frenzied albeit short fishing season at hand. Working in a distant and remote region carefully managed for long term sustainability by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the fishermen of Bristol Bay set their nets at the mouths of region’s six major rivers and work day and night.
A national treasure, Bristol Bay is the world’s most valuable remaining wild salmon fishery and Bristol Bay fishermen take care of the salmon because they know the salmon take care of them. Each year, the commercial fishery, which dates back to the 1870s, supports more than 14,000 jobs and generates more than $1.5 billion in revenue. It’s an economic engine that not only sustains the region, but thousands of American families as well.
