Never before have salmon been so appreciated — not with a hashtag, anyway.
Today marks the first Alaska Wild Salmon Day, a new holiday honoring the state’s most famed fish. Gov. Bill Walker established the holiday, to be celebrated annually on Aug. 10, in early May when he signed HB 128 into law.
“Nearly all Alaskans are impacted by salmon in some way — whether through subsistence, recreational, or commercial fishing, or just sheer appreciation for Alaska’s abundant wildlife,” Walker said in a press release about the bill.
The law, originally sponsored by Bryce Edgmon, D–Dillingham, is about more than celebrating Alaskans’ ties to salmon; it’s about celebrating the ways in which people all over the world are connected to salmon caught in the Last Frontier.
That’s where the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute and other Juneau businesses come in. ASMI is encouraging “salmon lovers worldwide” to take pictures of Alaska salmon and post them on social media sites along with the hashtag #AskForAlaska.
Snapchat users in Juneau, Seattle and Anchorage will be able to use a special Alaska Wild Salmon Day filter to commemorate the holiday.
Alaska is the world’s top source for wild salmon, and it accounts for more than 90 percent of all salmon harvested in the United States, according to an ASMI press release.
To celebrate the new holiday, the Douglas Island Pink and Chum salmon hatchery — also known as the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery or simply DIPAC — will grant free admission to all Alaska residents who present valid ID. The hatchery will also discount all shelf-stable salmon products in its gift shop, according to DIPAC’s Manager of Tourism and Education Katie Harms.
“Alaska is home to some of the healthiest stocks of wild salmon in the world and as Alaskans, we take great pride in making sure our pristine waters continue to provide the best tasting, highest quality salmon for generations to come,” Alaska Seafood Communications Director Tyson Fick said in the ASMI press release. “We’re excited to have an official holiday to recognize our heritage and the chance to share it with the world through the hashtag #AskforAlaska.”
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