An abundance of fresh caught Copper River sockeye salmon showed up in retail markets in advance of the Memorial Day weekend holiday, and was getting snapped up by shoppers.
Prices fell significantly in some shops as deliveries came in from the third Copper River opener,
with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) putting the estimated overall catch at 167,712 sockeyes. Harvesters have also delivered to processors 4,835 chum, 4,096 Chinook, and 65 coho salmon, according to ADF&G.
Costco stores in Anchorage dropped the price of sockeye fillets from $23.95 to $14.99 a pound, compared with $19.95 a pound at 10th & M Seafoods, $59.95 at the online retailers FishEx, and
$39.99 a pound at Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle. New Sagaya’s seafood shops in Anchorage had five pounds of sockeye fillets for $215, or $43 a pound.
The number of sockeye, chum and Chinook salmon delivered in the Cordova area continued to grow with each 12-hour opener, and sales at retail markets also increased.
