PWS Wild Sockeye Salmon

Prince William Sound Salmon: Nutrient Rich Journey of Sockeye, Keta and Pinks

2024-06-04

Prince William Sound is home to all five species of Pacific salmon. Every year from June through September they return to our protected coastal waters in order to spawn. The unmistakable color and taste of these fish can be attributed to the rich waters in which they thrive. As they feed and grow to adults in the open ocean they retain the rich nutrients of their diet of small crustaceans and plankton as heart healthy omega-3s and flavorful oils. Prince William Sound is fed by multiple glaciers which contribute to the cold, pristine water environment that wild salmon require in order to be healthy

Our fleet is proud to bring this incredible natural superfood to the plates of people all over the world.

Prince William Sound Sockeye: Big runs, full flavor

Oncorhynchus nerka

6 lb average, range 4-6 lbs

Highly abundant and sustainable, this salmon species has the full flavor, firm texture and deep red color that makes it the poster child for wild Alaskan Salmon. A Summer BBQ favorite that goes great on the grill!

Nutrition

Serving size: 7oz

Calories: 325

Fat:12 g

Protein: 58 g

Omega-3: 1825 mg

Prince William Sound Keta: The people's choice

Oncorhynchus keta

8 lb average, range 2-12 lbs

Mild in flavor and modest in price, Keta salmon, also known as Chum salmon, are a little-known secret that deserves to be more widely shared. The mild flavor makes this a friendly fish choice. Great to use in fillets for smoking or flaked in burgers and patties.

Nutrition

Serving size: 7oz

Calories: 325

Fat: 10 g

Protein: 55 g

Omega-3: 1708 mg

Prince William Sound Pink: Alaska's most abundant

Oncorhynchus gorbuscha

3 lb average, range 2-6 lbs

The most abundant salmon species harvested in Alaska, this fish will often be found canned or smoked. Its mild flavor and low fat content make it an excellent salad topper or burger. Perfect for introducing new palettes to wild salmon flavor.

Nutrition

Serving size: 7 oz

Calories: 325

Fat: 10 g

Protein: 52 g

Omega-3: 1310 mg

Source: USDA national nutrient database for standard reference, release #28/ Rounded per FDA guidelines

Prince William Sound seasonality and species chart

Click here to download our informative sell sheet

Reel In The Benefits: Why Buying Direct From Prince William Sound Fishermen Is Choice

2023-08-31

The sustainable and delicious choice for salmon lovers!

The Natural Wonders of Prince William Sound

2023-01-05

Sunset Over The Sound, Photo by Bob Martinson

Prince William Sound is home to a highly productive sockeye salmon fishery, which is a significant contributor to the region's economy. For the past 1,000 years, this location has been the final destination for ocean currents transporting valuable minerals from Antarctica. These minerals are deposited directly into Prince William Sound, a region that has not been significantly impacted by human development. As a result, it’s a place full of natural beauty and mystery.

Beautiful Fog Masking the Mountains, Photo by Bob Martinson

^{The Majestic Landscape}

Prince William Sound's coastline features many intricate fjords and inlets. The landscape is dominated by ancient glaciers, which tower above the water, creating a fortress-like barrier around the coast. Tens of thousands of years of existence have allowed these glaciers to carve deep valleys into the landscape, creating a visually striking and unique region. The combination of the icy glaciers and the winding coastline makes this region a truly breathtaking place to visit.

PWS Salmon

^{The Delicious and Nutritious Wild Salmon}

In addition to its natural beauty, the region is also known for its delicious and highly sought-after wild salmon. Wild Alaska Prince William Sound salmon is a true delicacy, Sought after for its flavorful flesh, silky texture, and deep red-orange color. These majestic fish are caught in the pure waters of Prince William Sound, an unspoiled sound on Alaska's south central coast that is home to a vast variety of wildlife. The pristine environment of Prince William Sound is the perfect place for salmon to thrive, and it's no surprise that they are high in omega-3 fatty acids, making them a nutritious choice for seafood lovers.

Young Prince William Sound salmon set net fisherman with her catch

^{Our Commitment to Sustainability}

As fishermen, we are dedicated to sustainable harvesting and processing practices that preserve the rich, natural legacy of the region. Our artisanal methods have been honed over generations by independent fishermen who set out on small one- and two-man boats to catch salmon using traditional gillnets. Each catch is handled minimally and delivered quickly to ensure maximum freshness and quality.

Our commitment to sustainability doesn't stop at the fishing process. As independent small business owners, we are dedicated to preserving our livelihood for generations to come. To ensure the long-term sustainability of the region's resources, we follow the recommendations of scientists and comply with government regulations. Maintaining the sustainability of the region's resources is a vital and honorable task that we are committed to carrying on for the prosperity of our descendants.

Prince William Sound is a true natural wonder, surrounded by spectacular glaciers and mountains and shielded from the open ocean by barrier islands. The unspoiled beauty of the region is a sight to behold, and it's no wonder that it is home to such a diverse array of wildlife. We are committed to preserving the beauty and abundance of Prince William Sound, and it is our hope that folks down the road will be able to enjoy it as much as we do.

^{Experience the Taste and Sustainability of Prince William Sound Wild Salmon}

So next time you're in the mood for a delicious, healthy seafood option, consider Prince William Sound Alaskan wild salmon. Find Sound Salmon near you. Not only will you be indulging in a truly delectable treat, but you'll be supporting sustainable fishing practices and preserving the natural beauty of the region for future generations. It's a win-win situation that's sure to please both your taste buds and your conscience!

The World’s Richest Waters

2019-07-17

What do we mean when we say that the North Pacific is “the world’s richest waters”? It’s a long story, in terms of time and distance!

The North Pacific is the end of the great ocean conveyor belt, a large-scale ocean circulation. Here’s how it works: Warm surface waters from the tropics, made salty by evaporation, travel along the surface into the North Atlantic. Around Greenland and Iceland, the surface waters are cooled during winter storms and made more salty by the production of sea ice. That makes the water more dense and causes it to sink, thousands of meters below the surface. That water travels along the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean to the Southern Ocean, where more cold water can be added during Antarctic winters. The cold salty bottom current travels around Cape Horn and the Straits of Magellan into the Pacific and Indian Oceans. In the North Pacific and Indian Oceans that water, pushed by the water behind, runs out of the ocean bottom and upwells towards the surface. This process takes something like 1000 years.

Caption: The great ocean conveyor belt.
Image credit: USGS: https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/p1386a/gallery2-fig31.html

During its 1000-year journey along the bottom, the waters of the conveyor belt receive a constant rain of organic matter from above, through what oceanographers call the biological pump. Near the surface, single-celled plants called phytoplankton take up nutrients and use sunlight to photosynthesize and grow. When the phytoplankton run out of nutrients, they get sticky and start to sink; they can also be fed on by zooplankton which produce fecal pellets that sink rapidly. In simple terms, everybody dies and everybody poops; what’s left over tends to sink.

Caption: The biological pump. Producers near the surface produce a rain of organic material to deep waters, where it is decomposed and released in a process called remineralization. Organic material can also be directly moved upwards and downwards by deepwater formation and upwelling (right side).
Image credit: Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/35037696/figures/1

Once away from the sunlit surface waters, that organic matter is mostly decomposed by bacteria, which releases some of the organic material back to a dissolved form. Carbon is released as carbon dioxide, and nitrogen-containing compounds are released and mostly converted to a dissolved form called nitrate. By the time the conveyor belt reaches the northern North Pacific, it has a thousand-year accumulation of nitrate, among the highest concentrations in the world.

Phytoplankton require a nitrogen source to grow, and nitrate is a pretty good one. As the deep waters of the conveyor belt start to upwell in the North Pacific, they become shallow enough that they can be mixed up by the impressive storms that march across the North Pacific every year, which carries some of that nitrate to the surface. Once spring returns and days get long enough, phytoplankton turn sunlight and that nitrate into a riot of growth, which feeds the zooplankton, who feed the fish, who feed bigger fish, and so on, up the rest of the impressively productive North Pacific ecosystem.

Rob Campbell, Ph.D

Rob Campbell, Ph.D., is a biological oceanographer and came to Prince William Sound Science Center via the University of Hamburg following a doctorate at the University of Victoria. His current research is primarily observational and centered around trying to understand how plankton and fish interact with the physical environment (temperature, salinity, nutrients) to produce the patterns we see in nature. Current projects include surveys of plankton and oceanography in PWS; Process studies of the seasonal evolution of the surface oceanography in PWS with an instrumented moored profiler; studies on the distribution of nutrients, plankton and fish around the plume of the Copper River. He is also interested in the use of ecophysiological measurements (lipids, protein, enzyme assays) for the estimation of rate processes, and the influence of biochemical content in the control of buoyancy by marine plants and animals. Rob also runs a sonar weir in the lower Copper River in spring to aid management of the Copper River salmon fishery.

Pure. Fresh. Wild.

2018-06-01

The world’s richest waters produce the best salmon in the world.

The taste of untouched beauty.

Prince William Sound is like no other place on earth. Surrounded by spectacular glaciers and mountains, and shielded from the open ocean by barrier islands, this unspoiled sound on Alaska’s southcentral coast is home to a vast variety of wildlife. Salmon thrive in these cold, pristine waters. To preserve the sound’s rich biodiversity, our fishery upholds the highest standards of quality and sustainability, treating each fish with the utmost care.

Pure. Fresh. Wild.

Wild Alaskan salmon’s rich flavor, silken flesh, and vibrant color comes from the untouched Alaskan waters they thrive in. Naturally high in omega-3 fatty acids, wild salmon is known for its incredible health benefits and taste. Best of all, our salmon are harvested sustainably and processed in small batches, so you know you are doing good while getting the best.

Minimal Handling. Maximum Quality.

We are committed to preserving the rich, natural legacy of Prince William Sound, handling every salmon we harvest with care, employing artisan-harvesting practices honed over generations. We are independent small business owners. We fish on one and two man boats to catch salmon using traditional gillnets. Each catch is handled minimally, delivered quickly, and inspected individually to guarantee excellence. We want your salmon to taste as fresh as if you were on the boat with us.

A tradition of conservation.

We are equally committed to fishing responsibly, and are dedicated to preserving our livelihood for generations to come. We listen to fisheries biologists and adhere to government regulations limiting the number of fish we harvest each season. I guess you can say, we give up short-term gain for long-term sustainability – a practice our parents and grandparents taught us and we gladly pass on and teach today – for our future. We are more than fishermen, we are conservationists.