Never before have salmon been so appreciated \u2014 not with a hashtag, anyway.<\/p>\n
Today marks the first Alaska Wild Salmon Day, a new holiday honoring the state\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cNearly all Alaskans are impacted by salmon in some way \u2014 whether through subsistence, recreational, or commercial fishing, or just sheer appreciation for Alaska\u2019s abundant wildlife,\u201d Walker said in a press release about the bill.<\/p>\n
The law, originally sponsored by Bryce Edgmon, D\u2013Dillingham, is about more than celebrating Alaskans\u2019 ties to salmon; it\u2019s about celebrating the ways in which people all over the world are connected to salmon caught in the Last Frontier.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute and other Juneau businesses come in. ASMI is encouraging \u201csalmon lovers worldwide\u201d to take pictures of Alaska salmon and post them on social media sites along with the hashtag #AskForAlaska.<\/p>\n
Snapchat users in Juneau, Seattle and Anchorage will be able to use a special Alaska Wild Salmon Day filter to commemorate the holiday.<\/p>\n
Alaska is the world\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
To celebrate the new holiday, the Douglas Island Pink and Chum salmon hatchery \u2014 also known as the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery or simply DIPAC \u2014 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\u2019s Manager of Tourism and Education Katie Harms.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlaska 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,\u201d Alaska Seafood Communications Director Tyson Fick said in the ASMI press release. \u201cWe\u2019re excited to have an official holiday to recognize our heritage and the chance to share it with the world through the hashtag #AskforAlaska.\u201d<\/p>\n
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