Credit Krysti Shallenberger / KYUK
This will be the second year that Seattle-based E&E Foods is purchasing salmon from local fishermen in Kuskokwim Bay. Fishermen and fish buyers are optimistic that the Kuskokwim Bay commercial fishery will build on the success of last year.
E&E Foods Chief Operating Officer Ken Ng said that his company purchased over a million pounds of salmon from Kuskokwim Bay fishermen last year.
“We hope to purchase more,” Ng said of this year.
Ng said that the pandemic reduced the demand for salmon last year, but with restaurants and the economy reopening, he is optimistic that the demand for salmon will be higher this season. He said that E&E’s processing ship in Goodnews Bay can handle 70,000 pounds of salmon per day, which is the same capacity as the ship that was there last year. The fish will be frozen before being shipped out of the region, and most will end up in grocery stores.