Wild Sustainable Yukon King Salmon

Wild Yukon King Salmon spawn in the natural river gravel of northwestern Canada. After an icy cold winter, the young salmon begin their migration down the Yukon River through the Alaskan wilderness to the Bering Sea. It is here they will live off the rich mix of nutrients swept up by the strong ocean currents. As these Yukon King Salmon approach 6 years of age, they will have developed an oil content of up to 34%, the highest level of any salmon in the world. In this prime condition, they begin their two-month, 2,000-mile journey back to their original spawning grounds. The Yukon River fishery is highly regulated to protect this natural wonder for generations and ensures only salmon in excess of escapement needs are harvested.

Boreal’s location on the banks of the lower Yukon River was chosen to match the superior King Salmon fishing grounds with the most advanced jet-accessible airport on the lower Yukon.

As the wild salmon enter the Yukon River, they are caught and delivered to our tenders where they are immediately iced. The tender captains then radio the plant and airplanes are ordered to transport the salmon to Anchorage. As these wild salmon reach our main facility, we immerse them in our state-of-the-art slush ice system for additional heat extraction. Our perfection of this handling system has been the key element in bringing consistent premium quality Yukon King Salmon to market for over 30 years.

Within twelve hours from being caught, our Yukon Kings will be 400 miles from the fishing grounds and ready for shipment to consumers around the world.

We specialize in buying only the best Yukon Kings from over 400 Yup’ik Eskimo fishermen and women. The Yup’ik Eskimos who inhabit this area crossed the land bridge from Siberia over 10,000 years ago and continue to make this their home. Their rich culture and traditions are carried on much as they have been for hundreds of generations.

A Precious Resource

The Yukon River wild salmon runs, as all Alaska Salmon, are certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. This brings consumers the knowledge that this is a highly regulated wild salmon run that will continue for many generations to come. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game along with their Canadian counterpart continually monitor the Alaska salmon coming into the river. Before a commercial harvest is allowed, they make sure an adequate number of salmon have passed sonar stations at critical points along the river. This ensures that more than enough salmon will complete the journey to their spawning grounds and the runs will continue to strengthen.