Sockeye Salmon are only part-time residents of Alaska. They spend most of their time in rivers and lakes before they head for the seas. It is normal for the salmon to return after two or three years to Alaska, at this time they are fattened and begin there long journey to spawn. The United States is the largest harvester of the sockeye salmon. After spawning, because of the abundance, Bristol - Bay is the largest fishery.
Japan is one of the largest importers of the Alaskan salmon.
About one third of the salmon we eat today comes from farms and hatcheries. About 16 percent of the population are actual native to Alaska. The total population of Alaska is 609,311. Whites make up about 75 percent of the population. The next largest group is composed of descendants of the area's early inhabitants, the Inuit, Native Americans, and the Aleut.