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Just spotted a quick news item related to Yukon River Wild King Salmon, a desired fish among some salmon gourmands. Two distinct native Alaskan cultures, Yup’ik Eskimos and Athabascan Indians, who have for 10,000 years relied on the salmon harvest to survive, have joined together through the Yukon River Wild cultural association to spread the word about the health benefits of the Yukon River salmon. According to an official statement:

By working together to market a greater percentage of the fish they catch, the Yup’iks and Athabascans will be able to raise the standard of living in their remote villages. In addition to providing income for those who catch the fish, increased demand for wild Yukon River salmon will provide jobs for hundreds of village residents who work on tenders and in processing facilities. The result should be a brighter economic future for the native peoples along the river, and greater availability of their prized catch for seafood lovers everywhere.

Wild Yukon River King salmon travel up to 2,000 miles from the Bering Sea to reach their spawning grounds. King salmon store a much higher amount of fat (34% fat content) and Omega 3 oils than salmon from other parts of the world, according to studies perfomed by Food Products Laboratory in Portland, Oregon. The wild Yukon River King salmon run begins in mid-June, and lasts approximately three weeks. The only store that appears to carry Yukon River Wild King Salmon in the Los Angeles area is Bristol Farms. For other national locations check this list.

UPDATE (6/14): I got a response to my query about price and availability from Bob Kitagawa, Seafood Buyer / Merchandiser, Bristol Farms. He writes:

The latest update I have which I got this morning is only 80 fish were caught in the test nets yesterday, 30 the day before. Once the test net catches 100 fish they give the fishermen a 48 hour notice that they can fish. This is done to assure there are enough fish in the river so they can escape and spawn up river. On the Yukon River I understand there are only three permits given out to fish in these waters. It is not a wide open fishery like the Copper River. There will be an announcement today around 12:00pm on the latest test catch. I would guess Saturday will be the earliest day we will receive fish if they announce today fishing will open Thursday. I really don’t expect fish until next week but you never know. That’s why they call it fishing. These salmon will be available at all Bristol Farms once the fishing opens. I don’t know where the prices will be. Last year I believe we were at $26.00 per pound. I don’t think it will be less than that.

photo: guys cutting a salmon Originally uploaded by elinar.