As part of their website, Alaska Airlines regularly included feature articles about some of the unique draws of Alaska. These were fun little research pieces reminiscent of middle school science reports.

Copper River Salmon
Each May something extraordinary happens at the Copper River Delta in Alaska. To this lush area filled with woods, marshes and pristine waters, over 2,000,000 salmon journey back home to spawn. Find out what’s so special about these wild salmon and why they have become a culinary phenomena.

The Copper River salmon run is the official start of spring fever in Alaska. And a homecoming looked forward to with great anticipation. What is it about this particular salmon that creates such a following? Well, it starts with the river they come from. The Copper River is one of the world’s most pristine rivers, starting out as a small stream of glacial run-off from the Copper Glacier. From this 3,400-foot height, it flows 287 miles through the Wrangell and Chugach Mountains and ends in a fertile wide delta about 125 miles southeast of Anchorage.

In between are beautiful, rapid-filled waters that are home to all kinds of wild salmon. The fish lay their eggs in the eddies along the banks of the Copper River. When the eggs hatch, some of the fry swim down the river and out to sea. Depending on the particular species, the salmon will spend up to five years in the open ocean where they can grow up to 60 pounds. Until finally, remembering the smell of their home, they’re able to return to the exact place of their birth when it comes time to spawn.

But what makes Copper River salmon different is their migration home. Due to the length of the river, sharp vertical rise, and hundreds of rapids, it can take three to four months for the salmon to reach their destination high in the mountains. In anticipation of this almost 300-mile upstream struggle, the fish prepare by storing generous fat and oil reserves. And this is what gives all species of Copper River salmon their signature deep orange color, delicate, nutty flavor and silky texture.

Three different types of wild salmon are found in the Copper River - the most abundant being the Sockeyes or Red salmon. Then there are the Coho or Silvers. But it’s the Chinook or King salmon that we fall for hook, line and sinker. As they enter the mouth of the river delta, the salmon are caught at their peak, before their exhausting journey begins. Highly prized for flavor and rarity, wild Copper River salmon is also good for you. It’s low in cholesterol, high in Omega-3 fatty acids and a great source of protein, vitamin D and calcium. Reason enough for restaurants and connoisseurs around the world to go nutty trying to get their hands on this amazing salmon that’s only available fresh for about three weeks a year.

Why only three weeks? In 1990 the state of Alaska outlawed the farming of salmon to protect the native stock from hybridization and competition for food. Now wild salmon is a carefully controlled resource here in Alaska and over-fishing is simply not allowed. In fact biologists forecast the return each year and the number that can be caught is just a percentage of those 2,000,000 homecoming salmon. Because of this, no salmon stocks of Alaska origin are threatened or endangered. This thoughtful planning ensures that future generations of fish and fishermen are well provided for.

Wild salmon from the Copper River. Another of the many abundant natural resources of the 49th state.