How Copper River reds got famous: Respect

No one would know it today, but Copper River red salmon used to be sold cheaply -- frozen and in bulk -- to Japan. Now, they're bled and iced immediately after being pulled from the ocean, then flown to Seattle scant hours later. Copper River red salmon are now coveted by the best chefs in the world, and their appearance at the market each spring causes a frenzy even though they're basically the same as other red salmon caught in Alaska. According to The Atlantic's Barry Estabrook, the transformation of that fishery was all about respecting the product -- not just a marketing effort, as the haters often allege. Copper River red salmon may be the first to start their spawning run in the spring, and they are some of the most oil-laden salmon swimming, but changing the way gillnetters handled their catch is the major reason for the fishery's pre-eminence. "The fishermen raised the bar for everyone," salmon fisherman and current Cordova Mayor Jim Kallander said. "In the end, what it is all about is treating the fish with the respect they deserve." Read much more, here. And by the way, Ocean Beauty Seafoods, a Yukon River salmon processor, has several partners in an effort to bring fresh Yukon River chums from the village of Kaltag to market quickly, in a manner similar to Copper River reds. Read more about that, here, via Alaska Newspapers Inc.'s The Bristol Bay Times.