The first commercial opener on the Copper River resulted in a good catch for fishermen brave enough to face strong winds, rain and fifteen foot swells.
Processors took in more than seventy five thousand sockeye salmon or about half of last year's catch on the first day of the season, according to Fish and Game.
Shortly after arriving at processors in Cordova, the salmon were boxed and sent out for a global market eager to serve up the wild Alaska fish.
On Friday, Copper River seafoods delivered fresh salmon to several stores including Costco, Sam's Club and Fred Meyer as well as several restaurants in town.
"All around the world, people love Copper River salmon, they love salmon from Alaska," Cassandra Squibb, the Chief Business Development Officer for Copper River Seafoods, said. "They know that it's sustainable we have it written into our state constitution so there is a lot of demand for our salmon."
The Fred Meyer on Dimond was the first and only one of its stores to receive some of the first catch.
David Sanz, a seafood buyer and category manager with Fred Meyer says the store supports selling sustainable fish like the Copper River salmon.
"It doesn't get a whole lot fresher than this," Sanz said. "This fish came out of the water on the first 12 hour opener which was yesterday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., in the store by noon."
More fish will arrive in Anchorage after the next commercial opener.
Contact Dan Carpenter