How to Buy Alaska Seafood Through alaskaseafood.org

Updated

alaskaseafood.org is the official site of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), a marketing and information platform rather than an online store. You cannot add seafood to a cart or check out on the site itself. Instead, it routes you to a "Buy Alaska Seafood" page where you can find suppliers and retail channels, and then you complete your purchase through those third-party sellers. This guide covers what the site actually offers, how to use it to locate seafood, and what to expect at each step.

What alaskaseafood.org is (and is not)

ASMI describes itself as Alaska's official seafood marketing arm, and its stated goal is to maximize the economic value of the Alaska seafood resource. That framing explains the site's structure:

  • It is an information and promotion hub: species guides, recipes, harvest updates, nutrition content, and a supplier directory.
  • It is not a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site. There is no on-site cart, and the site does not sell seafood itself.

The homepage surfaces a "Buy Alaska Seafood" call to action and a "Shop for Alaska Seafood" link that points to a suppliers section. Treat these as gateways to partner businesses, not as a storefront.

Step-by-step: finding where to buy

  1. Start at the Buy Alaska Seafood page. From the homepage, follow the "Buy Alaska Seafood" link (the URL path is /buy-alaska-seafood/). This is the site's central purchasing gateway.
  2. Jump to the suppliers section. On that page, use the "Shop for Alaska Seafood" link, which anchors to the #suppliers section. This is where retail and supplier options are listed.
  3. Identify a seller that fits your needs. Because ASMI is a marketing body, the listed channels are third parties—retailers, suppliers, and related businesses. Your actual transaction happens with whichever seller you choose.
  4. Complete the purchase off-site. Pricing, shipping, payment methods, and availability are set by the individual seller, not by ASMI. The site itself does not display product prices or operate a checkout.

What else the site helps you do

Beyond the buying gateway, the site supports the decision-making that comes before a purchase:

  • Explore species. Alaska's waters support five species of salmon, several varieties of whitefish, and numerous types of crab and shellfish. The species section helps you understand what you're buying before you choose a seller.
  • Check harvest updates. Weekly salmon harvest updates are prepared by McKinley Research Group on behalf of ASMI, giving you a sense of what's in season and currently being landed.
  • Browse recipes. The site features quick options such as a 15-minute Alaska salmon peanut sauce bowl, a one-pot Pacific sole pasta, and a tinned-salmon charcuterie board—useful if you want to match a purchase to a specific dish.
  • Read health and nutrition content. A dedicated section covers nutrition information if that factors into your choice.

Common sticking points

  • Expecting a checkout. The most frequent mismatch is assuming the site sells seafood directly. It doesn't—plan to finish your purchase with a listed supplier or retailer.
  • Looking for prices on-site. Because sales happen through third parties, you won't find ASMI-set pricing. Compare sellers directly for cost and shipping.
  • Confusing marketing with retail. ASMI's role is promotion and information; the "Buy" and "Shop" links are routing tools, not a storefront.

Quick reference

Question Answer
Can I buy seafood directly on alaskaseafood.org? No—it's a marketing/information site, not an e-commerce store
Where is the buying entry point? The "Buy Alaska Seafood" page (/buy-alaska-seafood/)
How do I find sellers? Use the "Shop for Alaska Seafood" link to the #suppliers section
Who sets prices and handles payment? The individual third-party seller, not ASMI
What else can I do there? Explore species, read recipes, check weekly harvest updates, view nutrition info

If your goal is simply to get Alaska seafood, use the site to identify a supplier or retailer, then buy from that seller. If your goal is to understand what's available, in season, or how to cook it, the site's species, harvest, and recipe sections are the relevant stops.