Kirk and Heather Hardcastle
Taku River Reds
Juneau, Alaska
This salmon wholesaler abides by strict standards to ensure that the local fish populations remain intact. After all, 95 percent of the United States’ domestic salmon supply comes from Alaska. For the Hardcastles, maintaining healthy fish populations is a must.
Why we chose this salmon:
“We fish for the future,” says Kirk. Which means that, during salmon runs, Taku River sends out its boat only three to four days a week to ensure that plenty of salmon can swim upstream and reproduce. The Hardcastles also encourage their staff to engage in salmon-related research and political advocacy — they recently wrapped up a project exploring salmon oil’s potential to be used for biodiesel. “We’re still scientists and nature nerds at heart,” says Kirk. “We’re trying to use the whole fish in every capacity that we can, and every year we try something new.”
Healthy salmon make for a healthy local economy:
“In Alaska, our economics are 100 percent tied into the health of our environment,” says Kirk. “Anything we do … should look through the lens of salmon.”
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