With their bright red skin, sockeye salmon are easily the most recognizable of the seven salmon species found along the West Coast of North America. Like all salmon, sockeyes are “anadromous”, meaning that they spend their adult lives in the ocean but migrate into freshwater rivers and streams to reproduce. Incredibly, after spending years wandering in the ocean, the majority of salmon are able to navigate back to their native rivers where they were born.

Sockeyes extend from the Oregon/Washington border up through Canada, Alaska, and even into Russia and Northern Japan. The Copper River, with its headwaters in the Gulf of Alaska, is host to one of the most productive sockeye fisheries in the world. Beginning in May, millions of sockeye salmon will return to these prolific fishing grounds. This year the Alaska Department of Fish and Game predicts that 2.24 million sockeye will find their way back to the Copper River, of which an anticipated 1.3 million will be caught and sold in markets around the world!

This summer, Hy-Vee shoppers can treat themselves to wild Alaskan sockeye salmon from the famous Copper River as well as other rivers located across Alaska’s west coast. Rated as a "Best Choice" by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Alaskan sockeye salmon is also a responsible choice for the environment. Be sure to stop by the seafood counter at your local Hy-Vee for a taste of this truly miraculous fish!

As many have seen, Hy-Vee has opposed expansion of the State of Iowa's Bottle Bill.  This opposition is based on several factors.  First, is our concern for food safety and the fact that bringing recycled bottles and cans back to food stores does not help grocers in that regard.  We are also concerned about the logistics and space needs of dealing with more of this material, which in many cases is not too far from being garbage.  We also believe that curbside recycling, particularly in those communities that have single stream recycling, is a much more cost-effective and safe manner of dealing with this material.

We accept that others may not agree with our position and will continue working with the State and other interested stakeholders to look for better alternatives for dealing with recyclable materials.

Did you know Hy-Vee hosts a Health and Wellness forum at www.hy-vee.com that allows participants to research information posted by other users and even post your own questions?  One of Hy-Vee's more than 150 registered dietitians also offer advice and guidance as a part of this forum.  In order to be a part of the forum, go to Hy-Vee.com and create a My-Hy-Vee profile.  We also encourage you contact a dietitian at your local Hy-Vee store if you have questions, would like to schedule a private consultation, or would like to participate in one of our group programs.