Wild Sockeye salmon has a medium flake size and the reddest meat of all the salmon species. It also has relatively high oil content; in fact, it has the second highest oil content after King salmon. In salmon a high oil content translates into a richer flavor. Wild Sockeye is one of the healthiest fish you can consume.
Sockeye salmon from different river runs become available as the season progresses. In general, the primary differences are price, availability, and origin.
Significant Alaska salmon fisheries include:
Bristol Bay is one of the first wild salmon fisheries to open each year and is located in the South-Eastern part of the Bering Sea, North of the Alaska panhandle.
Copper River salmon are considered some of the finest salmon available due to their extremely high oil content (which they store in order to swim up the frigid and rugged river). This gives them an even richer flavor than other sockeye salmon varieties.
Resurrection Bay is another one of the first wild salmon fisheries to open each year and is located in the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska.