Why Copper River King Salmon Is So Expensive | So Expensive Food | Business Insider

Business Insider2 minutes read

Copper River King Salmon is a highly prized fish, costing up to $120 per pound and requiring fishers in Cordova, Alaska to navigate dangerous waters and invest in expensive permits to catch this rare and nutritious variety. Kyle faces challenges such as unpredictable seasons, short fishing windows, and strict catch limits while using specific gill nets to catch the king salmon in hazardous conditions, all to sustain his business despite high costs and risks.

Insights

  • Copper River King Salmon is a highly prized variety, costing significantly more than other salmon due to its size, nutrition, and the dangers and expenses faced by fishers in Cordova, Alaska to catch it.
  • Fishing for Copper River King Salmon is a challenging and regulated process, with fishers like Kyle navigating dangerous waters, using specific nets, and facing changing catch limits to balance sustainability with the high costs and risks involved in the pursuit.

Get key ideas from YouTube videos. It’s free

Recent questions

  • What makes Copper River King Salmon unique?

    It is the largest, most nutritious wild Pacific salmon.

  • How dangerous is fishing for Copper River King Salmon?

    Fishers face extreme dangers in dangerous waters.

  • What challenges do fishers face when catching Copper River King Salmon?

    Short fishing window and unpredictable start of the season.

  • How do fishers catch Copper River King Salmon?

    Using specific gill nets with large mesh sizes.

  • What is the cost of Copper River King Salmon?

    Up to $120 per pound, six times more than other wild salmon.

Related videos

Summary

00:00

"Chasing Copper River King Salmon in Alaska"

  • Copper River King Salmon is a highly prized and expensive variety, costing up to $120 per pound, six times more than other wild salmon and ten times more than farmed salmon.
  • Fishers in Cordova, Alaska face extreme dangers and high costs to catch this rare salmon, spending days in dangerous waters and investing in expensive permits.
  • Copper River King Salmon, also known as Chinook Salmon, is the largest and most nutritious of the five species of wild Pacific salmon in Alaska.
  • Kyle and his crew set sail early in the morning from Cordova Harbor, taking two hours to reach the Copper River Delta where the salmon stay for only three to six weeks.
  • Fishing for Copper River King Salmon is challenging due to the unpredictable start of the season, short fishing window, and the need to navigate dangerous waters.
  • Kyle uses specific gill nets with large mesh sizes to catch the king salmon, but the process is hazardous due to the equipment and loose mesh.
  • The huge size of Copper River King Salmon is due to their migration, swimming 300 miles against a seven-mile-per-hour current, gaining 3,600 feet in elevation, and enduring a long journey home to spawn.
  • Kyle's fishing is regulated, with a catch limit that can change daily, requiring him to stop fishing once reached, but he must still catch enough to sustain his business despite high costs and risks.
Channel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatar

Try it yourself — It’s free.