Yukon River chum salmon are caught only with fishwheels in Kaltag. (Photo: Yukon River Gold/ FIS)

Alaska processor to market Yukon River salmon

Ocean Beauty Seafoods announced on Wednesday a multi-year agreement with the remote Alaskan village of Kaltag and Yukon River Gold LLC to market chum salmon fished from the Yukon River. The fish plant in Kaltag was completed in 2000 with grants through the Denali Commission and matching funds from the village.

Harvesting of chum salmon, also called keta salmon, in Kaltag is done only with fishwheels, which are considered among the most eco friendly and high-quality fishing techniques.

Fishwheels are a kind of water wheel powered by the moving river water. They thus do not require any outside power, produce no greenhouse gases, eliminate bycatch by returning non-targeted species to the river unharmed and allow for the live bleeding of targeted species, which provides the absolute best quality fish, the company said.

"These are great fish – high in oil content and Omega-3s. The market needs the fish and the local residents need the market," said Ocean Beauty President and CEO Mark Palmer. "We are privileged to work with the people of Kaltag, who have put up with a lot of economic hardship over the past few years.”

Chum salmon steak (Photo: Yukon River Gold)

“They've had a market for their fish only one year out of the past thirteen. We hope that by committing to a multi-year agreement we can be a reliable partner with the residents of Kaltag for a long time to come. If we do this right, everyone wins," he declared.

The logistics partners with specialized equipment and a deep knowledge of the region in the project are Crowley Petroleum and Lynden Transport, firms that will be managing the transport of these fish to market with their extensive network of barges, tugs, trucks and planes. Their combined expertise will be key in ensuring the salmon get to market quickly and as inexpensively as possible, Ocean Beauty informed.

Kaltag is a village of just 230 inhabitants located on the west bank of the Yukon River, 400 mi downriver from Nenana. The local communities that will profit from the venture are Grayling, Anvik, Kaltag, Nulato, Koyukuk and Galena.

Founded in 1910, Ocean Beauty Seafoods is one of the state’s biggest seafood processors. It operates seven shoreside facilities in Alaska, one in Newport, Oregon, two value-added factories in Washington State, eight fresh-fish distribution houses in the western US and a worldwide sales organisation.

By Natalia Real
[email protected]
www.seafood.media

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