WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Mark Begich is sending President Barack Obama a sample of smoked Alaska salmon -- and a pitch for the wild specimen.

This follows Obama's State of the Union address, when he said one government agency is in charge of salmon when they're in fresh water, another is in charge when they're in saltwater, and "I hear it gets even more complicated once they're smoked."

Begich said the mention caught Alaskans' attention, and he wanted Obama and his family to have a taste of smoked wild salmon. In a letter dated Friday, he also said he thinks one taste will convince the president that salmon are "best kept wild."

Begich, a Democrat, has been fighting to bar federal approval of genetically altered salmon for food.