Courtesy Sitka Salmon Shares
The year was 2011, and a Midwestern college professor and two students made their way to Sitka, Alaska, for the summer. While there, they quickly learned about the importance of protecting not only the state’s wild salmon populations, but the environment that supports one of the world’s last salmon reserves.
When they returned back home with boxes of fresh fish, they were a hit. In fact, it was so well-received that it sparked the idea for Sitka Salmon Shares—a well-known, widely respected community supported fishery (CSF) that ships shares of wild Alaskan seafood straight to your door during fishing season. But origins and reputation aside, the company is making moves that most aren’t.
It’s true; even though there are a few companies that deliver seafood to your home, we have yet to find one that matches Sitka Salmon’s high standards for responsible harvesting or ability to trace the fish back to the fleet it was caught on and where. “This is a major issue in the industry,” Minnesota’s community director Richie Mann says. “We have created an honest supply chain our members can follow all the way back to the fleet.”
Courtesy Sitka Salmon Shares
But beyond its transparent supply chain, the collective is working to rebuild America’s seafood system from the ground up. Its efforts are backed by responsible practices that support the environment, the fish, and the small-boat Alaskan fishing families who harvest them.
The 23 fishermen-owners (who you can read individual biographies on here) catch your fish one at a time, process the fish at Sitka Salmon’s Sitka-based plant or with a trusted partner. There, the fish go through a three-step process to ensure unmatched levels of quality and freshness.
Sitka Salmon’s processing protocols, transparency, and environmental stewardship initiatives could be a few of the reasons customers love its shares of seafood as much as they do (visit sitkasalmonshares.com to read the impressive number of raving, 5-star testimonials), but the no-contact home delivery, fresh-from-the-water taste, and seasonal share options definitely play a role as well.
Courtesy Sitka Salmon Shares
The shares you can sign up for range in shape and size, with each option boasting a variety of fish and seafood each month. These four shares include the Taste of Fall Share (September-December, starting at $109/month); Sitka Salmon Share (August-November, starting at $119/month); Sitka Seafood Share (June-November, starting at $119/month); and the company’s most popular share, the Premium Sitka Seafood Share—which includes halibut, sablefish (black cod), line-caught king salmon, Copper River sockeye salmon, sashimi-grade albacore, pot-caught spot shrimp, Dungeness crab, and more—from June-December for $129/month.
But once you have this wild-caught Alaskan fish in your hands, then what? If you need ideas, Sitka Salmon’s website is packed with recipes, like its butter-basted salmon, spicy sesame poke bowl, and Pacific cod chowder.
