Bristol Bay Salmon Weeks 2023 Recap
/In celebration of the return of Bristol Bay Fishermen and another successful harvest, numerous restaurants across the greater Washington D.C. and Seattle areas come together to serve Bristol Bay Sockeye on their menu for a week. These two major cities are fantastic locations to host Bristol Bay Salmon Week thanks to their deep ties to the wild Alaska salmon commercial fishing industry (D.C. being the setting for many important legislative wins for the protection of Bristol Bay and Seattle being the home of many Alaska fishermen). Each Salmon Week blends an appreciation for the 8,000+ hardworking fishermen of Bristol Bay and the notable versatility of Bristol Bay Sockeye.
Each restaurant creates their own unique Bristol Bay Sockeye dish and highlights it on their menu and marketing feeds.
This year's Seattle Salmon Week saw nearly 50 restaurants serving Bristol Bay Sockeye, with features on media outlets like King 5 / New Day Northwest and local foodie influencer dishe highlights thanks to the work of the Bristol Bay Sockeye PR team at Edelman. The Great Wheel at Pier 57 was turned sockeye red for the week, and Bristol Bay Sockeye was served to the Seattle Seahawks immediately following their November 12th game in partnership with Italian restaurant Pasta Casalinga. We have received positive feedback from our partners and look forward to executing additional promotions in 2024 and have learned that Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon has become a year round mainstay on menus as a result!
New this year and also taking place during both Salmon Weeks, Bristol Bay Sockeye partnered with health-conscious chain Whole Foods Markets to host in-store cooking demos of Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon. A total of 10 demos were hosted across four stores between Whole Foods locations in the Seattle and metro D.C. areas.
The Seattle demos also piloted a new Fisherman Meet & Greet program where a Bristol Bay Fisherman made an appearance during the in-store demos to lean into the “know your fisherman” aspect. These fishermen spoke to and educated consumers about the Bristol Bay fishery and lifestyle, as well as Bristol Bay Sockeye health benefits and cooking tactics alongside the cooking demonstration, allowing shoppers and store employees alike to connect directly with the harvester while taste testing Bristol Bay Sockeye product.