Copper River Salmon, We Sure Took The Bait
As a young girl, my family lived in Washington and Alaska. During the Alaska years, we became accustomed to the concept of “free salmon,” and halibut, and King crab. You get the idea. Fresh seafood often came from the family boat, or a neighbor, and rarely did we buy it in a store. So after a move to the lower 48, we suffered sticker shock when forced to BUY fresh fish at the seafood counters. It’s amazing what a bit of distance and shipping fees can do to the price of fish.
But what’s really amazing is the stroke of genius used to brand and create a high demand for common species of King, Sockeye and Coho whose only mark of distinction is location. Normally the first commercial harvest of the year, Copper River salmon has always been easy to ship from nearby Cordova to markets across the country. But, not until it was marketed as special “Copper River,” did demand for the salmon grow. And naturally, so did the price tag - typically netting twice the going rate for fresh seasonal salmon.
Every year around mid May, restaurants and stores start promoting the imminent arrival of Copper River salmon. The season is short, so there’s lots of buzz around the first arrivals. Even Alaska Air, the premier freight shipper out of Alaska, stages a major event at the Seattle’s SEA-TAC airport heralding the arrival of the first catch. Complete with a ceremonial transport of the first fish and a celebrity chef cook-off on the premises, the Pacific Northwest celebrates the “prized” wild salmon as the best in the world. Copper River Salmon, we took the bait!
Hmmm… Who Knew? It is certainly among the richest of salmon, with its deep red flesh, firm texture, and rich oily content. But so are Kings, Sockeyes and Cohos caught in other parts of Alaska. Naturally, the short season does help to promote the concept of scarcity and urgency – the “get it while it’s available,” hype. But the truth is, after the initial launch and the hype dwindles, the supply typically remains constant and the price starts to approach normal.
In addition, a similar marketing campaign is underway to promote Yukon River salmon, the same species of fish which boasts a similar oily and rich taste.It will be interesting to see if consumers will “swallow” the concept of both products as Alaskan specialities. Regardless, as for Copper River salmon, we sure took the bait.
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