Patrick W.
Yelp
In the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, there are a lot of salmon snobs. For most of us outside of that region of the country, we know of farm salmon which is the pink stuff we see at the supermarket. In Alaska, they love their wild salmon and there is a disdain for the inferior farm salmon. Wild salmon is a different color and taste. There are five different types. In my opinion, sockeye salmon is definitely the best of them.
The salmon shops feature salmon spreads in a can that go on crackers, bread, etc. You can sample them in the shops. Two great ones are right by the pier after you get off the ship: Salmon Etc. (322 Mission St, Ketchikan, AK 99901) and Salmon Market (200 Main St, Ketchikan, AK 99901). Definitely stop by both and try their samples. We ended up buying some cans of salmon and salmon fish oil. Salmon Etc. also has a great explanation on its website of why Alaska champions wild salmon: "We offer only Alaska wild fish and hand-processed products using soft, natural ingredients. Farmed fish - raised in crowded, restrictive net pens in Europe, South America and some areas of North America, are fed fish meal that can pass on disease - that's part of why antibiotics are so heavily used in fish farms. Farmed fish are genetically weaker than their wild counterparts. Farmed fish have such pale meat that dyes are added to their food to color the flesh. For good reason, Alaskans are down on fish farming and see the up side of harvesting wild, sustainable fish."
If you are looking into an Alaska cruise and/or things to do during a day trip/ shore excursion at Ketchikan, feel free to message me for recommendations or my thoughts on the cruise I went on [also in the link in my profile].