SEATTLE, June 23 — Ocean Beauty Seafoods is pleased to announce a multi-year agreement with the remote Alaska village of Kaltag and Yukon River Gold LLC to market chum salmon, also called Keta salmon, from the Yukon River. The fish plant in Kaltag was completed in 2000 with grants through the Denali Commission and matching funds from the village of Kaltag.
Chum salmon harvesting in Kaltag is done exclusively with fishwheels, considered among the most environmentally friendly and high-quality fishing methods. Fishwheels are a form of water wheel, powered by the moving river water. They require no outside power, produce no greenhouse gases, eliminate bycatch by returning non-targeted species to the river unharmed, and allow for the targeted species to be live-bled, providing the absolute best quality fish.
"These are great fish – high in oil content and Omega-3s. The market needs the fish and the local residents need the market," said Mark Palmer, Ocean Beauty President and CEO. "We are privileged to work with the people of Kaltag, who have put up with a lot of economic hardship over the past few years. They've had a market for their fish only one year out of the past thirteen. We hope that by committing to a multi-year agreement we can be a reliable partner with the residents of Kaltag for a long time to come," Palmer continued. "If we do this right, everyone wins."
Without logistics partners with specialized equipment and a deep knowledge of the region it would be impossible to operate in an area as remote as this. Crowley Petroleum and Lynden Transport will be handling the movement of these fish to market with their extensive network of barges, tugs, trucks, and planes. Their combined expertise will be crucial in ensuring the fish get to market quickly and as economically as possible.
Kaltag is a village of 230 on the west bank of the Yukon River, 400 miles downriver from Nenana, and is familiar mainly as a checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail. The local communities that will ultimately benefit from the Renaissance of this historical fishery are Grayling, Anvik, Kaltag, Nulato, Koyukuk, and Galena.
An Alaska corporation celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2010, Ocean Beauty Seafoods is one of Alaska's largest seafood processors, operating seven shoreside facilities in Alaska, one in Newport, Oregon, two value-added factories in Washington State, eight fresh-fish distribution houses in the western US, and a worldwide sales organization.
Source: Ocean Beauty Seafoods