The Pacific Ocean is home to six types of wild salmon, of which North American fishermen target five: king, sockeye, silver, pink and chum in commercial fisheries operating along the west coast, from Alaska to California. These are some of the most iconic and valuable fisheries in the United States, but because they are wild fisheries, catch levels can fluctuate considerably from season to season. On the whole, though, catches have been quite prolific in recent years.
In its latest annual report, Fisheries of the United States 2013, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), finds that total landings of wild salmon topped one billion pounds (453,592 tonnes), up 68% from 2012 and setting a new record. That year, Alaska, which catches approximately 80% of the salmon caught in North America, landed its best ever total of 272 million fish.
Pacific salmon species are very closely related to one another but each has a different flavour and texture profile. To confuse matters, each of these has at least one other name, as well as a Latin name.
King/Chinook (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha) — The biggest and most highly prized Pacific salmon species. They have a very high fat content and corresponding rich flesh that ranges from white to a deep red colour. Stocks originate in rivers from central California to northwest Alaska and are harvested in ocean and river habitats.
Sockeye/Red (Oncorhynchus nerka) — Noted for the species’ bright red-orange flesh and deep rich flavour. They are known as “reds” both for their dark flesh colour and because they turn from bright silver to deep red as they move upstream to spawn. This is the most valuable US salmon species, the majority of which is caught in Alaska.
Coho/Silver (Oncorhynchus kisutch) — Coho are sometimes called silver salmon, or “silvers”, because of their especially silver skin. They have bright red flesh and a slightly more delicate texture than Chinook salmon but a similar flavour. Alaska fisheries supply the majority of coho to the global market.
Pink/Humpback (Oncorhynchus gorbusha) — These are the most abundant Pacific salmon and are one of the smallest varieties. They have very light coloured and flavoured flesh and a low fat content. Pink salmon are often canned, but also sold fresh, frozen and smoked. They are sometimes called humpback salmon because of the distinctive hump they develop on their back when they spawn. This species accounts for almost half the salmon harvested in Alaska’s fisheries.
Chum/Keta/Dog (Oncorhynchus keta) — Chum are also called dog salmon because of their protruding, dog-like teeth, while keta comes from its species name. They have pale-to-medium-coloured flesh and a lower fat content than other salmon. Chum are less oily salmon, mainly caught in Alaska. They are usually canned or sold frozen.
Pacific salmon live in the ocean but are born and spawn in freshwater rivers and streams. As such, they are sensitive to a variety of natural and manmade stressors, on land as well as in the ocean. Changes in ocean and climatic conditions, habitat loss from the construction of dams and urban development, and degraded water quality from agricultural and logging practices are just a few of the factors that have historically taken their toll on wild salmon populations.
With salmon, managing impacts on habitat is just as important as managing harvests — the quality of the salmon habitat affects the abundance of salmon, and the abundance of salmon determines how much salmon may be harvested by commercial, recreational and subsistence fishermen.
To ensure sustainability, a wide variety of conservation efforts have been undertaken, including captive rearing in hatcheries, removal and modification of dams that obstruct salmon migration and restoration of degraded habitats.
For the 2015 season, Alaska is again forecasting a very high salmon run. According to the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, the total salmon catch is expected to reach 220.9 million fish, led by pink salmon at 140.3 million fish, along with 58.8 million sockeye salmon, 4.6 million coho salmon and 17.2 million chum salmon,
The projected pink salmon catch is 46% higher than the 2014 harvest. Additionally, the projected sockeye salmon harvest is expected to be about 33% higher than the harvest in 2014, and the projected chum salmon harvest is expected to be about 52% higher than last year.
The majority of Alaskan salmon is sold in the United States but there are also significant exports to Europe.
Pittman Seafoods sells both MSC-certified and non-MSC-certified Pacific salmon.
Bahari ya Pasifiki ni nyumbani kwa aina sita za samaki wa mwituni, ambao wavuvi wa Amerika Kaskazini wanalenga tano: mfalme, sockeye, fedha, pink na chum katika uvuvi wa kibiashara unaofanya kazi kando ya pwani ya magharibi, kutoka Alaska hadi California. Hizi ni baadhi ya samaki maarufu na muhimu zaidi nchini Marekani, lakini kwa sababu ni samaki wa mwituni, viwango vya kuvua vinaweza kubadilika sana kutoka msimu mmoja hadi mwingine. Hata hivyo, kwa ujumla, samaki wamekuwa wengi sana katika miaka ya karibuni. Katika ripoti yake ya mwaka wa 2013 ya Uvuvi wa Marekani, Shirika la Kitaifa la Bahari na Anga (NOAA) limegundua kwamba jumla ya samaki wa samaki wa mwituni waliofungwa ilifikia kilo bilioni moja (ton 453,592), kuongezeka kwa 68% kutoka 2012 na kuweka rekodi mpya. Alaska, ambayo huchukua karibu 80% ya samaki wote wa Amerika Kaskazini, ilipata jumla ya samaki milioni 272 mwaka huo. Spishi za samaki wa Pasifiki zina uhusiano wa karibu sana lakini kila moja ina ladha na muundo tofauti. Ili kuchanganya mambo, kila moja ya hayo ina angalau jina jingine moja, na pia jina la Kilatini. King-Chinuk (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha) <unk> Aina kubwa zaidi na yenye thamani zaidi ya samaki wa Pasifiki. Wao kuwa na kiasi kikubwa cha mafuta na sambamba na nyama tajiri ambayo huanzia nyeupe kwa rangi nyekundu. Hifadhi hizo hutoka katika mito kutoka katikati ya California hadi kaskazini magharibi mwa Alaska na huvunwa katika bahari na vijito vya mito. Sockeye/Red (Oncorhynchus nerka) <unk> Alibainisha kwa spishi <unk> nyekundu-oranges nyama na ladha ya kina tajiri. Wanajulikana kama <unk>red<unk> wote kwa rangi yao nyeusi ya nyama na kwa sababu wao kugeuka kutoka fedha mkali kwa nyekundu kirefu kama wao hoja upstream kwa kuzaa. Hii ni aina ya samaki wa thamani zaidi wa Marekani, ambao wengi wao hukamatwa huko Alaska. Coho/Silver (Oncorhynchus kisutch) <unk> Coho wakati mwingine huitwa samaki wa fedha, au <unk>silvers<unk>, kwa sababu ya ngozi yao hasa ya fedha. Wao kuwa na nyama nyekundu mkali na texture kidogo zaidi nyembamba kuliko Chinook samaki lakini ladha sawa. Uvuvi wa Alaska hutoa sehemu kubwa ya samaki hao kwa soko la ulimwengu. Pink/Humpback (Oncorhynchus gorbusha) <unk> Hizi ni samaki wengi zaidi wa Pasifiki na ni moja ya aina ndogo zaidi. Wao kuwa na rangi nyepesi sana na ladha nyama na chini ya mafuta maudhui. Mara nyingi samaki wa rangi ya waridi huhifadhiwa, lakini pia huuzwa akiwa safi, amezama, na kuvutwa. Nyakati nyingine wao huitwa samaki aina ya humpback salmon kwa sababu ya umbo la kipekee linalokuwa kwenye mgongo wao wanapozaa. Spishi hii hufanyiza karibu nusu ya samaki wa samaki wanaovuliwa katika uvuvi wa Alaska. Chum, Keta, na Keta (Oncorhynchus keta) ni aina ya samaki wanaopendwa sana na watu wengi, na kwa sababu ya meno yao ya nje, kama ya mbwa, wanaitwa samaki wa mbwa. Wao kuwa na rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi. Chum ni samaki wa samaki wasio na mafuta sana, ambao huvuliwa hasa huko Alaska. Kwa kawaida huhifadhiwa au kuuzwa ikiwa imefungwa. Samoni wa Pasifiki huishi baharini lakini huzaliwa na kuzaa katika mito na vijito vya maji baridi. Kwa hiyo, wao huathiriwa na mkazo mbalimbali wa asili na wa kibinadamu, kwenye nchi kavu na pia baharini. Mabadiliko katika hali ya bahari na hali ya hewa, upotezaji wa makazi kutokana na ujenzi wa mabwawa na maendeleo ya mijini, na ubora wa maji uliodhoofika kutokana na mazoea ya kilimo na ukataji miti ni baadhi tu ya sababu ambazo kwa muda mrefu zimekuwa na athari kubwa kwa idadi ya samaki wa mwituni. Kwa samaki, usimamizi wa athari kwenye mazingira ni muhimu kama usimamizi wa mavuno - ubora wa mazingira ya samaki huathiri wingi wa samaki, na wingi wa samaki huamua ni kiasi gani cha samaki kinachoweza kuvunwa na wavuvi wa kibiashara, burudani na wa kuishi. Ili kuhakikisha uendelevu, juhudi mbalimbali za uhifadhi zimefanywa, ikiwa ni pamoja na kuzalisha mnyama katika makazi ya kuzaa, kuondoa na kurekebisha mabwawa ambayo huzuia uhamiaji wa samaki na kurudisha mazingira yaliyoharibika. Katika msimu wa 2015, Alaska inaonyesha kuwa idadi ya samaki wengi wa samaki wa samaki wa samaki wa samaki wa samaki wa samaki wa samaki wa samaki wa samaki. Kwa mujibu wa Idara ya Samaki na Uvuvi ya Alaska, jumla ya samaki wa samaki inatarajiwa kufikia samaki milioni 220, na pink salmon inaongoza kwa samaki milioni 140, pamoja na samaki milioni 58.8, salmon ya sockeye, salmon ya coho milioni 4.6 na samaki wa chum milioni 17.2 na samaki wa pink salmon inatarajiwa kufikia asilimia 46 ya mavuno ya 2014. Kwa kuongezea, mavuno ya salmon sockeye yanatarajiwa kuwa karibu 33% zaidi ya mavuno ya mwaka 2014, na mavuno ya chum salmon yanatarajiwa kuwa karibu 52% zaidi ya mwaka jana. Sehemu kubwa ya samaki wa Alaska huuzwa Marekani lakini pia kuna mauzo makubwa ya nje ya Ulaya. Pittman Seafoods huuza samaki wa Pasifiki wenye vyeti vya MSC na wasio na vyeti vya MSC.