"It was the highest price ever paid for salmon in the state, and we published it even before it opened (last year)," said Pip Fillingham, an owner of Copper River Fine Seafoods. "The fishermen loved the fact that we put out a price."

Fillingham said he inherently understands the fishermen's point of view.

"We're still fishermen," said Fillingham, speaking for himself and business partners Bill Bailey and Scott Blake. "Granted I have my processing hat on too, but as a fisherman, so often you go fishing and you don't know what you're getting paid."

Copper River Fine Seafoods, which has become a poster child for success in regional salmon marketing, is a major buyer of gillnet caught salmon. Although the company's market has already expanded far beyond their initial expectations, its aim is to keep increasing volume in all its product lines, he said.

"The whole reason our company formed (in 1996) was because we didn't think enough was being done to market the fish. We want to get the best value that you can," Fillingham said. "We're trying to say we need the fishermen and the fishermen needs to make this much."

The big unknown this year for buyers, such as Copper River Fine Seafoods, Peter Pan Seafoods, NorQuest Seafoods, and Bear and Wolf Salmon Co., is how the revival of two Southeast Alaska king salmon fisheries will affect their markets. The Taku and Stikine king fisheries, closed more than two decades ago, reopened May 2.

The combined preseason allowable harvest for the two fisheries is forecast at 50,000 kings, said Scott Kelly, regional supervisor for commercial fisheries in Southeast Alaska.

Cordova processors watching to see what prices are paid for the Southeast kings are anticipating an early opening at Copper River. "This is the earliest I've ever seen the Copper River opened up," said Hap Symmonds, plant manager for Ocean Beauty Seafoods at Cordova.

Dan Ashe, state area management biologist for the Copper River and Prince William Sound salmon, would say only that "it's a warm spring and we could have an early run."

The forecast is for a harvest of about 1.2 million reds, slightly up from 1.1 million a year ago. Biologists do not forecast the king harvest, which totaled 38,000 fish last year.

"We know for a fact we will be fishing May 16, but weather and conditions are favorable for a potential early return," he said. "I'm hoping this year is similar to last year and the year before ... It was just steady fishing."

Margaret Bauman can be reached at