Less than three weeks ago I was walking the streets of Cordova, Alaska— foraging wild mushrooms, flying over glacial waters, spending time with fishing families, eating wild salmon at nearly every meal, and fishing on the Eyak River.
Writing this now, with Chicago skyscrapers outside my window, it almost feels like a dream. The trip was unforgettable, and this is only part one of the recap. The best words to describe it are educational, humbling, and eye-opening. It revealed how deeply food, place, and community connect when you follow one ingredient from ocean to plate: wild Copper River salmon.
Cordova sits near the mouth of the Copper River, east of Prince William Sound. This small town of roughly 2,000 people—accessible only by plane or boat—lives and breathes wild salmon fishing. It’s a place where neighbors know each other, car doors are often left unlocked, and subsistence living remains common. The town’s warmth and hospitality are genuine and immediate.
Nearly 80% of local businesses in Cordova are supported in some way by Copper River commercial salmon fishing. The care, attention to detail, and pride around this work are palpable. It’s also extremely demanding. Only 541 commercial fishing permits are allowed in Cordova, many of them passed down through generations. When permits do appear for sale they can cost well over $250,000. Fishing here is often solitary and dangerous: vessels are commonly run by a single person for stretches as long as 36 hours.
Wild Copper River salmon are available primarily from May through September. They are hatched in freshwater streams and tributaries of the Copper River, spend much of their lives in glacial-fed ocean waters, and then return on an arduous journey—around 300 miles—back to the rivers where they were born to spawn. That demanding migration is a major reason Copper River salmon are prized for their flavor and nutritional value.
Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword in Cordova; it’s integral to the community’s future and livelihood. During the visit we met with organizations such as the Copper River Watershed Project and Alaska Fish & Game to learn about how fisheries are managed. Ensuring that enough salmon reach spawning grounds each season is complex and critical.
Alaska Fish & Game monitors salmon populations year-round—sometimes literally by hand counting—and sets season dates, opening durations, and gear regulations. Measures like regulating the mesh size of drift gill nets help minimize by-catch in commercial Copper River fisheries. Observing these practices up close was eye-opening.
We toured processing facilities where fishermen bring their catch for bleeding, icing, and shipping. Most Copper River salmon are bled and packed in ice immediately, then shipped fresh (not frozen) to markets across the country and beyond. If you’re shopping for Copper River salmon, look for it labeled specifically as such—otherwise “wild Alaskan salmon” may be from other fisheries like Bristol Bay. If your store doesn’t stock Copper River salmon, ask for it and keep asking; demand helps support sustainable seafood systems.
One of the trip’s strengths was its intimacy. Our small group included a food blogger, a chef, a seafood distributor’s manager, and me—people from different parts of the food system who could ask specific, practical questions. We were fortunate to have great weather: three of the four days were unusually sunny and mild for Cordova.
Our first full day began at the fishing docks near The Reluctant Fisherman Inn, where we stayed. The morning started in fog—beautiful and atmospheric—and included net mending and a boat ride with local fisherman John Bocci, one of several generous locals who shared time and stories with us.
We had lunch at the Powder House Restaurant—grilled salmon steaks—and later took a flight-seeing trip that may have been the highlight for many of us. Seeing the glaciers, fjords, and waterways from above puts the region’s scale and beauty into perspective and reinforces why protecting these ecosystems matters.
I’ll return with more photos and the rest of the trip recap, including salmon fishing and mushroom foraging adventures. This trip ranks among the highlights of my blogging journey; it deepened my appreciation for sustainable seafood and the people who make that industry possible.
Disclosure: Copper River Salmon Marketing covered my trip and travel expenses. I was not monetarily compensated for my time or for the creation of this blog post.