![The first shipment of Alaska Salmon brought by Alaska Air Cargo arrives. The first shipment of Alaska Salmon brought by Alaska Air Cargo arrives.](https://i2.wp.com/www.stattimes.com/h-upload/2024/05/27/68266-aac-freighter-blog-feat111423.webp?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
The first Alaskan salmon of the season arrived at Legal Sea Foods restaurants in Boston and Whole Foods Market seafood counters across the United States and were delivered by Alaska Air Cargo.
Just 48 hours after being caught near Cordova, Alaska, the season’s first wild king salmon was served in an exclusive “First Fish Dinner” at Legal Sea Foods in Boston. At the same time, fresh Copper River sockeye salmon began arriving at Whole Foods Market seafood counters. This logistical effort involved transporting the salmon over 3,000 miles, ensuring its freshness through Alaska Air Cargo’s cold chain system, according to an Alaska Air Cargo article.
Boxes of wild Alaskan salmon at the Cordova loading station (Image source: Copper River Seafoods)
“It’s an incredible experience for our guests in Boston, but also for our team to work with such an incredible fish,” says Brian Doyle, head chef at Legal Sea Foods. “For us to be the team that has the first Copper River king salmon is a great honor.”
For more than 90 years, Alaska Air Cargo has been a leader in transporting the state of Alaska’s freshest seafood to the world. Now, with more than 100 destinations in North America, we are proud to bring one of the state’s most prized products to new diners and home cooks across the country, he said.
“Alaska Air Cargo is very diligent about taking care of the fish in those boxes destined for the lower 48 and they know how important the cold chain is to keep the fish as fresh as possible,” says Jason Hedlund, senior seafood merchant for Whole Foods. market, which has fresh Copper River sockeye salmon available in stores nationwide. “Everyone is doing their part to deliver the best quality fish to their final destination.”
Sockeye salmon on its way to Whole Foods Market (Image source: Whole Foods Market)
“It’s always a very exciting time when we have the first salmon of the year, and for us, it really feels like the beginning of summer,” says Shannon Stevens, Alaska Air Cargo strategic account manager for the state of Alaska. “It’s huge for our fishing communities to share our celebrated first fresh fish with communities as far away as Boston.”
Top destinations for 2024 first fish according to Alaska Air Cargo are Seattle (SEA), Boston (BOS), Spokane (GEG), Dallas (DFW), Phoenix (PHX), Los Angeles (LAX), Santa Barbara (SBA) . , Raleigh-Durham (RDU), Atlanta (ATL), Las Vegas (LAS), Chicago (ORD), Philadelphia (PHL), Baltimore (BWI), Honolulu (HNL), Boise (BOI), Denver (DEN), and Portland . (PDX).
Customers start asking about Copper River salmon as early as April. Whole Foods Market teams prepare weeks in advance to secure the fish.
The 2024 season is the strongest in ten years. This allows Whole Foods Market to offer fresh sockeye salmon in more stores nationwide, according to the article.
Keynote USA
For the Latest Local News, Follow @Keynote USA Local on Twitter.