• Copper River salmon arrives to lower 48 from Alaska

    Ted S. Warren / AP

    Alaska Airlines Capt. Trent Davey carries a 55-pound Copper River king salmon down a red carpet after he flew the annual first air shipment of the prized fish from Alaska to the Seattle area early Friday morning.

    Ted S. Warren / AP

    Alaska Airlines Capt. Trent Davey and first officer Andy Kullick hold up a 55-pound Copper River king salmon at Sea-Tac airport.

    The first shipment of Alaska's prized Copper River salmon arrived early Friday morning at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport aboard an Alaska Airlines cargo flight from Cordova, Alaska.

    Copper River salmon, known for its superiority in the culinary world, is prized for its high oil content and flavor. It typically brings the highest prices at restaurants and fish markets.

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    Ted S. Warren / AP

    Executive chef Pat Donahue, of Anthony's Restaurants, executive chef Wayne Johnson, of Ray's Boathouse, Frankie Ragusa, general manger of Ocean Beauty Seafoods, and executive chef Jason Wilson, of Crush, walk with a 55-pound Copper River king salmon on May 18.

  • Hole blasted in Condit Dam to restore endangered fish habitat

    No doubt conservation groups and recreation enthusiasts are celebrating the removal of these antiquated dams.

    AP and KGW report:

    VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Crews on Wednesday blasted a hole in a nearly century-old hydropower dam in Washington's south Cascades, marking another step in efforts to restore habitat for threatened and endangered fish in the Pacific Northwest.

    The more than 12-story Condit Dam on the White Salmon River is the second-tallest dam to be demolished in U.S. history. Its two turbines produce about 14 megawatts of power, enough for 7,000 homes, but its owner, Portland-based utility PacifiCorp, elected to remove the dam rather than install cost-prohibitive fish passage structures that would have been required for relicensing.

     

    Full story.

    PacifiCorp via AP

    A hole is breached in the century-old Condit Dam on the White Salmon River near White Salmon, Wash. Wednesday, Oct. 26. The 12-story dam is the second-tallest dam in U.S. history to be breached for fish passage, according to the advocacy group American Rivers.

    Troy Wayrynen / The Columbian via AP

    Attendees rejoice while watching a live video feed of the breaching of Condit Dam at Freeing the White Salmon River Celebration Wednesday October 26 in Husum, Washington. The celebration was part of events scheduled for the breaching of Condit Dam.

    Steven Lane / The Columbian via AP

    Davis Washines, Inter Tribal Fisheries Enforcement, is overcome by emotion as he watches a live video feed of the breaching of Condit Dam at an invite only event near the dam, Wednesday, Oct. 26 in White Salmon, Wash.

    Steven Lane / The Columbian via AP

    The White Salmon River cuts its new course through the sediment of Northwestern Lake after the breaching of Condit Dam, Wednesday, Oct. 26 near White Salmon, Wash.

    Troy Wayrynen / The Columbian via AP

    From left, Giani Benevento, Jonathan Blum, both Wet Planet river guides, and Temira Wagonfeld, dress up as salmon at the Freeing the White Salmon River Celebration Wednesday Oct. 26 in Husum, Wash. The celebration was part of events scheduled for the breaching of Condit Dam.

     

     

     

  • Jim Seida / msnbc.com

    A passenger aboard the Alaska Ferry "Columbia" passes the time beneath a massive king salmon on July 26. The plaque beneath the salmon reads, “State of Alaska Department of Economic Development, King Salmon, (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), 102 pounds, Caught August 10, 1969, at Tebenkof Bay, Alaska, donated by Dignon Co. Inc and Petersburg Cold Storage Company.

    Enormous king salmon hangs out on Alaska ferry

    By Jim Seida

    This 102-pound salmon, likely caught with a net, is three pounds heavier than the current sport-caught world record king, a 99-pounder caught in the Skeena River in British Columbia in 2001. It’s also far short of the commercial catch record of 126 pounds caught near River Inlet near BC in the late 1970s.

    I shot this picture while aboard the Columbia with my family about a month ago. When I first heard that you could pitch a tent on the deck of ship as it traveled through the Inside Passage, north to Alaska, I couldn’t wait experience it for myself. The trip was fantastic. You can see a slideshow of images from our adventure here.