Common Name	Sockeye Salmon	Conservation Notes
Scientific Name	Oncorhynchus nerka	Sustainability Ratings/Certifications
Market Names	Red salmon, Blueback salmon	Buying Tips
Sushi Name	Sake	Health/Nutrition

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SOCKEYE SALMON MARKET ALERT - updated July 2011

The sockeye season got off to a strong start in Alaska in mid-May with the opening of the Copper River fishery near Prince William Sound. The first salmon of the season typically fetches very high prices, and this year was no exception with fresh H&G sockeyes from the first Copper River openings bringing $7/lb. FOB Seattle. Once it was clear, though, that the run would meet or exceed the forecast of 1.4 million fish prices started to ease, falling to $4.75/lb. by mid-June.

That’s when the first landings started to come in from Bristol Bay, home to the largest sockeye fishery in the world. The Bay forecast is for a catch of 30 million fish, about the same as last year, and about 6% above the 20-year average.  Depending on the size of the fish, the catch should weigh in at about 80,000 metric tons. But that may be a big if. Through July 4th, the typical peak of the run, catches were just 15 million fish, half the predicted catch. Unless there's a big finish in the Bay, supplies of sockeye from Alaska could be down considerably this year. Processors remain bullish on the market for wild salmon in spite of a sharp drop in prices for farmed salmon in June. The first fresh H&G reds from Bristol Bay were bringing $3.75 FOB Seattle the last week in June.  A strong British pound (the British are the largest single market for canned red salmon) and Japanese yen are making it easier for Alaska processors to justify the high prices.

Although ex-vessel prices in Bristol Bay had not been posted by the end of June, fishermen were confident they would end up getting more than $1/lb. for their reds. If that turns out to be the case, it would be the highest price Bay fishermen have received since 1998, when a weak run produced a catch of just 25,000 metric tons.
If sockeye catches in Alaska reach their projections of 44 million fish, look for the price of frozen fillets to be close to $7/lb. due to strong demand in the fresh, frozen and canned markets.

Meanwhile, don’t count on many sockeyes from the Fraser River in southern B.C.  this August. Last year’s whopping run—at 30 million fish the biggest since 1913—was a complete surprise and produced landings of almost 20,000 metric tons. This year, biologists are predicting a run of just three to five million fish. 

Conservation Notes

Advantages: Most sockeye salmon spawn near lakes and exhibit a wide variety of life history patterns. They are usually caught with gillnets and purse seines, which rarely touch the seafloor so there is little lasting physical impact on these habitats. In Alaska, sockeye are well managed and the stocks are healthy. The Alaska commercial salmon fisheries, which include sockeye, were certified against Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) sustainability standards in 2000 and recertified in 2007. The British Columbia sockeye salmon fishery was certified against MSC sustainability standards in 2010, and Annette Islands Reserve salmon fishery in southeast Alaska, which includes sockeye, is currently in full assessment for MSC certification.

Challenges: Outside of Alaska, sockeye salmon populations in California, Oregon, and Washington have decreased dramatically over the past 50 years. Sockeye in the Canadian Pacific, Washington, and Oregon have experienced declines due to habitat loss, climate change, pollution, introduced species, overfishing, and dam construction. Only two of the six sockeye populations in Washington state not listed on the endangered list are considered healthy and the Snake River sockeye population in Idaho is designated as endangered.

Sustainability Ratings and Certifications

	Seafood Watch	SeaChoice	FishWise	Blue Ocean Institute	New England Aquarium	Marine Stewardship Council
Alaska Wild-caught	Best Choice	Best Choice	Best Choice	Green	A List	Certified
British Columbia Wild-caught		Some Concerns				Certified*
Washington Wild-caught	Good Alternative	Some Concerns	Good Alternative	Yellow	B List
Oregon & California Wild-caught	Good Alternative	Some Concerns	Good Alternative	Yellow

 *Some sockeye salmon fisheries in British Columbia are certified to the MSC standard.

Rating Explanation

Seafood Watch currently assesses sockeye salmon fisheries from Alaska in a single assessment and assesses sockeye salmon fisheries from Washington, Oregon, and California in a separate assessment. Blue Ocean Institute's ratings for sockeye salmon include separate assessments for Alaska, British Columbia and the states of Washington, Oregon, and California together. All sockeye salmon fisheries in Alaska and select fisheries in British Columbia are certified to the sustainability standard of the Marine Stewardship Council.

Buying Tips

• Sockeye has the reddest flesh of any salmon species, and its rich meaty flesh has a high oil content
• Sockeye is marketed fresh, frozen, salted, canned
• The number of sockeye available seasonally varies, and quality can also vary within the same run
• Generally the further sockeye are caught from their natal river, the higher the quality
• Sockeye caught off Central Alaska’s Copper River and Canada's Fraser River tend to be larger and contain more oil than other sockeye runs
• Sockeye is graded 2-4, 4-6, 6-9, and 9 up
• There will be major quality differences because of natural variability more so than how fishermen and processors handle the product

Nutrition and Health

Acknowledgements

• Seafood Watch by Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Blue Ocean Institute
• SeaChoice
• Seafood Choices Alliance
• Environmental Defense Fund
• NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service