Top Row. Leslie Salt Dehydration Ponds ~ (Fremont and Newark, California)
Bottom Row CHIEF KYAN TOTEM POLE ~ Ketchikan, Alaska ~ (The most famous totem pole in the world.....Check it out in your U.S. Passport.
Totem poles are carved to honor deceased ancestors, record history, social events, and oral traditions. They were never worshipped as religious objects. The figures on the totem pole represent the crane, thunderbird, and the brown bear. The pole was carved in 1992 and appears throughout the United States Passport.
Salmon are at the very top of the fish evolutionary ladder and they are the top predator of the ocean food chain. Most salmon spend one to seven years in the open ocean before returning to their natal streams to spawn.
Each of the five salmon species has its own distinct flavor, texture and character.
King ~ (Chinook)
Silver ~ (Coho)
Sockeye ~ (Red)
Pink ~ (Humpback ..."Humpy")
Chum ~ (Dog)
Did you know that 80% of salmon is farm-raised and that krill gives salmon it's red color?
Wild Alaska Salmon
Salmon is a "Keystone" species.... that is, a species that has an unusual effect on the rest of the environment compared to its abundance.
Prized for its large size, silky texture and robust flavor, the king is also the fattiest of the salmon. Available fresh in early spring into the summer.
The silver might be the perfect salmon. Sport fisherman revere it for its exceptional fighting ability. Chefs relish its lower fat content and mild, distinctive flavor. Consumers like its lower price. Grilled or smoked, it's always delicious. Abundant in the fall.
Given a choice, connoisseurs of salmon will choose sockeye every time. Deep red fillets and rich, robust flavor makes sockeye as appealing to the eye as it is to the pallet. Excellent for smoking. Most abundant and commercially valuable. July-August.
The most common of all species....fillets are pale and their flavor mellow by comparison. But that's not a bad thing. The fall-runners can perform adequately on the grill, and canned pink salmon never over powers spices or sauces when formed into patties. July.
Lowest in fat of the five species, Chum flavor tends to be less than robust. However the smoking process or a little spice or a buttery sauce can more than make up for that. July.