There is perhaps no fish more prized, beloved, revered, fought over — or exploited — than salmon. Salmon is an ancient creature with tens of millions of years on its resume, sustaining civilizations throughout the ages. But in just the past hundred-plus years, this majestic elder of the sea has been taken for granted, then exploited, depleted and endangered. It’s been forced out of the wild and thrust into manmade feedlot-size pens, genetically modified and dammed from traveling upstream. But the most incredible thing is that even when it’s been pushed to the most unthinkable limits, the salmon continues to show up. Actually, it needs very little from humans — just a cold, clean place to live, commute and make babies. Pacific wild salmon are caught one of three ways: Gill netting, which uses vast nets in a curtain fashion, either on the seafloor or floating on the surface, which the fish swim into; purse seine, a circular net, in which the bottom of the netting is closed, like a drawstring purse, to capture the fish; and trolling, a type of hook-and-line method in which multiple hooks are towed behind a boat. The Atlantic salmon, once abundant in nearly every river north of the Hudson, has been disappearing from North American waters. In 2000, the salmon population in the Gulf of Maine was listed as an endangered species. There is a federal ban on commercial fishing for all wild Atlantic salmon in US waters. Translation: If you’ve been buying “Atlantic salmon” at the fish counter, you’ve been buying farmed salmon. Aquaculture has become the default method of raising “Atlantic salmon” both in this country and abroad; 70 percent of the world’s salmon harvest is now farmed. <<View All Real Food Encyclopedia Entries

Fun Facts about Salmon: In 1962, Alaska recognized the king salmon as the official state fish.

Just 30-some years ago, nobody in the lower 48 knew about Copper River king salmon, which was either frozen and sent to Japan or processed into cans. These days, the Copper River — located in south-central Alaska — is arguably the most widely recognized terroir among wild salmon lovers. The Copper River king’s claim to fame is the handiwork of Jon Rowley, a Seattle-based marketing genius and former fisherman who introduced the fish to chefs in 1983. It was love at first bite, and the rest was trend-setting culinary history, eventually building a cult-like following willing to pay top dollar. Opening day — every May 15 — is a highly anticipated and publicized event.

What to Look for When Buying Salmon You’re looking for luster. Salmon steaks and fillets, regardless of species, should be shiny and glistening. Whole salmon should have clear eyes and firm flesh, nothing squishy. Flesh should bounce back when pressed with a finger. It should smell like nothing or like a stream. Pass on anything that smells like ammonia. Be a proactive customer! This is especially important at retail seafood counters. In addition to finding out about the fish’s origins, ask questions like “When did the fish arrive, and when was it thawed?” (Much of the seafood at retail seafood counters has been flash frozen at sea.) And remember: Anything labeled as Norwegian, Scottish or Atlantic salmon is farmed. Salmon lovers living far from Pacific salmon territory (California, Pacific Northwest and Alaska) with few wild salmon options may want to explore online retailers. Here are some worth a look: Vital Choice carries king, sockeye and coho. Spendier than what you’ve been paying for farmed, but it’s fairly priced, and shipping is free for orders over $100.

Seattle-based Loki Fish Co. also does online sales, offering keta, pink, coho and king, both whole and portioned, depending on what’s available.

Bristol Bay sockeye is available at supermarket chains Wegmans and Harris Teeter, as well as Walmart stores in select states. Generally speaking, the mighty salmon has a silver skin, sometimes with olive shading, and its flesh comes in varying shades of red, pink and orange, depending on the species (and how the fish metabolizes the carotenoids from its pigment-rich diet of krill and other teensy shellfish).