When you think Fish, think sitka.

Sitka is a fishing village as nature intended. It's nestled between the Tongass National Forest, the world's last great remaining chunk of temperate rain forest, and the icy waters of the north Pacific. Sitka's proximity to the Tongass means that it's the perfect place for salmon to grow and thrive--some people even call the Tongass "America's Salmon Forest," since it produces about 30% of Alaska's wild salmon. Meanwhile, Sitka's proximity to the Continental Shelf means it's also the perfect place for halibut and black cod to spend their days. 

Sitka's nature means it's the perfect place to catch these fish--and lots of them! Indeed, fishing is the backbone of Sitka's economy, and it's been that way for a long time. The city's first residents, the Tlingit, came to Sitka in pursuit of salmon and halibut, as did the Russians after them.  In fact, Russian colonists created the first commercial fishery on North America's West Coast just outside of Sitka in the early 19th century. When Americans arrived, they built one of Alaska's first salmon canneries in Sitka. That cannery, the Pyramid Packing Plant, made Pharaoh brand canned salmon revered around the world.
 
Today, about one out of every twenty of the world's wild Alaskan salmon is brought to port in Sitka and Sitka continually ranks as one of the North Pacific's top five halibut and black cod ports. But unlike in days past, Sitka's fish no longer travel around the globe in a can. Sitka's now what's called a premium marketplace, meaning all of its salmon, halibut, and black cod leave Sitka either fresh or frozen. That's because the seafood connoisseurs know that Sitka's small boat fishermen produce the world's best tasting fish. Take one bite and you'll be hooked.