First shipment of Copper River salmon arrives in Anchorage

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - It was a red carpet affair at Alaska Air Cargo where the first shipment of Copper River king salmon was delivered to Anchorage on Tuesday.

“It is that time, it’s really the celebration, the welcoming of spring,” Copper River Seafoods marketing manager Jim Kostka said. “Mother Nature has come back to deliver the best protein on the world.”

The American Cancer Society of Alaska’s Charissa Habeger walked the celebratory first salmon of the season down the red carpet, showing off the fish for those in attendance. Alaskans won’t be the only ones enjoying the salmon, as Alaska Airlines delivered the first shipment of the summer to Seattle.

“We had about 4,000 pounds that we did bring up (to Anchorage),” Alaska Airlines spokesperson Tim Thompson said. “We’ve had about 30,000 pounds that has gone south to Seattle and then will be distributed through the Alaska Air Cargo network.”

The Alaska Salmon Season Kick-Off Celebration benefiting the American Cancer Society is being held at the Petroleum Club this weekend. The event will feature chefs from six Anchorage restaurants to find out who has the best Copper River Salmon recipes.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct that the season’s first fish was a king salmon or chinook, not a sockeye.