Frequently Asked Questions

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Seafood Quality & Storage

Yes! All of our seafood is sushi-grade. Our processors and storage facilities maintain proper freezing practices to ensure that our seafood can be consumed raw. Proper thawing practices should be followed, which include removing the seafood from the packaging and thawing under refrigeration. The most important element during the thawing practice is to remove seafood from the plastic packaging if it will not be consumed immediately upon thawing since certain bacteria can grow in low oxygen environments such as those found inside a vacuum seal. 

You’re right! The best fish is enjoyed fresh, right out of the water! But, the longer a fish is out of the water and unfrozen before making it to your plate, the lower the quality. We immediately chill our fish when it is caught, and within hours it is fileted and flash-frozen. Deep freezing and commercial vacuum-packing techniques seal in the just-caught freshness and quality. There are no adverse side-effects to freezing if care is taken in the thawing process. In fact, the extreme freezing temperature is one of the things that makes our fish sushi-grade (for raw consumption) and superior in quality to so-called “fresh” fish that has been refrigerated for days.

Vacuum-packaged wild Alaskan filets can have a frozen shelf-life of up to two years under the right conditions. We inspect every filet before it gets packed into a share bag, and remove any with a “loose” seal. Since the fish is handled more on its way to and once in your freezer, it’s important that you continue to inspect your filets throughout the year. When filets that have moved inside the vacuum-package are noticed sooner rather than later, they are still quite delicious. If overlooked, freezer-burn will eventually make these filets undesirable to eat. Another important aspect to quality control once your share is in your possession is your freezer. Auto-defrost freezers incorporate heating elements that melt frost from the freezer’s interior. Storing fish in auto-defrost freezers can expose the filets to repeated partial thaw and refreeze, which can cause or worsen issues with the seal or freezer burn. Your best option is to store your seafood in a manual defrost freezer or in the center of an auto-defrost freezer.

We do have substantial number of customers with histamine intolerance or sensitivity that report good results eating our seafood. While we don't want to be in a position of giving individual health advice as each person is unique, we do think our seafood has the best chances of being a good option if you have histamine intolerance.

We immediately bleed and chill our fish before delivering to the processor. These steps help reduce histamine formation. Rapid processing, flash freezing, and vacuum-sealing techniques are used and all help prevent histamine production. We keep our seafood frozen until it reaches you and this also contributes to preventing histamine formation. When you're ready to prepare a seafood dish, rapid thawing immediately before cooking can help insure that the seafood has the lowest histamine levels possible. Smoked fish does require thawing and should be avoided if histamines are a concern.

For more information on histamines, click here to read an article. 

If you would like to be added to our histamine email group, we can email you to notify you immediately after we receive shipments of seafood in our Montana warehouse if you would like us to ship the freshest possible seafood directly to you. Click here to sign up for that.

Our share sizes all fit in less than half the space in a typical household fridge freezer. Since each piece of fish is individually vacuum-packaged, it is easier than one might think to fit the filets into available spaces. Since that puts having Alaskan seafood for dinner in arms reach, we don’t get any complaints regarding crowded freezers!

Purchase & Return Terms

All our purchases go through our online store, which accepts Apple Pay, Shop Pay, and PayPal in addition to all major credit cards. Monthly or bi-weekly installment plans are available through Shop Pay or PayPal. Please note, we are unable to refund processing fees if PayPal is used during checkout – 3.5% will be withheld from any refund. This is due to PayPal policy/practice with their processing fees.

In the pre-season, before a single fish is caught, we pay our professional processor in Alaska so that a portion of our upcoming harvest is reserved for all of you. Your purchase before fishing season allows your share of the catch to be designated for you as it moves through a careful process to get from the net to your table. 

We have seasonal purchasing deadlines each year for our pickup locations, after which availability is not guaranteed and the price is slightly higher. Making your purchase during the pre-order season guarantees the best in availability and pricing. We bring harvests to our communities in 1,000 pound containers, so generally any extra fish available is when we are selling the remainder of a container. Word to the wise: it typically sells out quickly, so don’t miss out. Any seafood that we have available can be shipped to you via UPS.

In order to offer the very best wild Alaskan salmon and halibut at an improved price point, our Community Supported Fishery (CSF) is modeled on efficiency. Our fish is available to purchase pre-season, the harvest in Alaska takes place, and your share of that harvest is transported in deep freeze by barge and by long-haul freight to either your CSF pick-up location (if available in your area) or to your door via Direct Shipping. Seafood fishing seasons differ by species, and we do sell out, so please visit our Online Store to see what is available.

Shipping Questions

Our seafood is currently available by one of two methods:

Local CSF Pick Up Events are available in select areas and no shipping charges apply. To learn more about local pick up, select your location if we have a seasonal pick up location near you.

Direct Shipping is available to select states for free, and additional states for a $25-$49. Check out our shipping map to see the costs for your location.

For Our Shipping Customers (not local pickup customers):

We include extra dry ice in all of our shipments! Our goal is to allow for an additional day of transit beyond what was expected originally to allow for unforeseen delays by our shipping carriers. If you shipment arrives late, partial thawing or no dry ice present does not mean that your shipment is automatically spoiled. 40 deg. F is a common fridge temperature, and your seafood may have never exceeded that if you still see frozen product in your shipment. If you have a thermometer, it is recommended to check the temperature of thawed seafood. Either way, please place your shipment into a freezer immediately after receiving it as it may still be safe to consume. While there is potential for communication between us to take some time, it is best if product is stored in the freezer until we have resolved your questions/issues.

If there is damage or delivery delay due to carrier handling that causes spoilage, we require pictures be emailed to info@eatwildsalmon.com, and/or texted to (406) 272-2466. Any additional evidence or details that can be provided are appreciated as this assists us when dealing with our shipping providers. When tracking information confirms that our shipper has delivered your order past the expected date of arrival, refunds will be offered for products that experience spoilage and/or damage upon picture evidence being provided as mentioned above.

If you prefer to have your product re-shipped, there is a $60 re-ship fee to help cover dry ice, insulated packaging and shipping fees. Perishable goods such as seafood are not allowed any insurance or carrier coverage, so please note that even though the carrier may have been at fault with the delay/damage, we have taken on the full cost of the original shipment and product, hence the re-shipment fee.