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Alaska Salmon Commercial Fishing Preparations Underway

May 16, 2012|By Jason Lamb | Channel 2 News

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska Copper River commerical salmon season opener awaits fishermen in Cordova, poised to make a profit on the prized fish they're able to catch, beginning Thursday.

It's the season many of the fishermen have been waiting months for, because Copper River salmon is prized by restaurant chefs and fish mongers as some of the best salmon in the world.

"The Copper River is a very strong, powerful river, so these fish naturally have to be a stronger animal to fight these currents and get up to the spawning grounds," said Billy Green with Copper River Seafoods.  "Naturally, that helps produce a higher oil content, higher fat content and higher omega-3s that a lot of people associate with a healthy product." 

The opener begins near Cordova at 7 a.m.

Weather forecasts call for sun and a high of 50 degrees in Cordova Thursday.  Green says the good weather means its fishermen are going to be able to work at a faster pace, setting their nets more, and potentially bringing in more profit.

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Last year was the third-highest salmon harvest on record, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.  The department expects similar numbers for this year, including a total run of more than 2 million sockeye salmon and about 54,000 king salmon.

Green says over the last three years, there's been an uptick in buyers -- restaurateurs, chefs and fish mongers -- who want to travel to Cordova to see the salmon being caught for themselves.

"The end user is becoming a little more interested in where this product is coming from, where their fish, where their proteins or any other food is coming from, relating to the story behind the product," Green said.

Contact Jason Lamb.  Follow him on Twitter at @JasonLambKTUU for pictures and video of the opener, beginning at 7 a.m. on Thursday.

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