USDA buys 1400 tons of Alaska canned pink salmon for relief efforts

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Anchorage, Alaska

Gov. Frank Murkowski has announced a purchase agreement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 1,400 tons of canned Alaska pink salmon. The fish will be sent to aid relief efforts in Jamaica and Guatemala.

Pink salmon is the state's most abundant salmon species. A price crash during the late 1990's shut down canneries across Southeast Alaska. Pink prices have risen 55 percent in the last four years, and many claim the pink industry is poised for a comeback.

"The pink salmon is very nutritious, and it also provides the Omega-3 fatty acids that are important for people with compromised immune systems," said Nina Schlossman, the president of Global Food & Nutrition Inc.

Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development Commissioner Bill Noll says he believes even more canned pink salmon will be bought by relief organizations next year.