FAQs

General

• What's a "Share?"
  Good question. A Share is how I sell my catch and is about 10 lbs. I'm always shooting for 10 lbs. but a Share can be anywhere from 9.5-10.5 lbs. One Share is the minimum total order and one Share is also the minimum per species. So, if you'd like more than one species in your order, add two or more Shares. 

Preordering

• How does your service work?
  Preorder one or more of my four seasonal catches here at my site during the preorder period (varies depending on the seasonal catch). Once the fishing season is over, I ship it right to your door. Click here to learn more. If you'd like to go ahead and preorder your Share, you can do it here.
• Why order from Salmon & Sable?
  I do things slowly, meticulously and by hand way out in the Alaskan wilderness. This commitment to the whole process combined with a dedication to environmental sustainability is what makes my business so unique. My seafood is among the best you will taste in your lifetime, and it's family produced from start to finish. Although there are many places to buy Alaskan seafood these days, scant few are both catching and filleting their own fish. When you order from them, you're generally getting anonymous, unstoried, corporate processed fish that is mediocre quality at best. When you call or email, it me you'll be talking to. The same guy who catching, fillets, and ships your seafood. More info here.
• How and when do I pay for my Share?
  You pay 100% upfront when you preorder. When you check out, you can use any major credit card.
• Is there any balance due on arrival?
  Nope. You're all set to start enjoying your seafood.

Shipping / Receiving

• Does someone need to be home when my Share arrives?
  No. I do not require a signature upon delivery. Although it is ideal if someone is home to receive the order, in most situations your Share can sit on your doorstep for for 6-8 hours. Most east coast orders ship Ground, which means they usually arrive on the day expected, but can sometimes be delayed a day or two. You're order may not arrive on the day your expecting it, so waiting for it usually isn't productive.
• Can I specify the ship date?
  No. Because I am a fisherman first, the seasonal fishery is the priority. When the season is done, I ship customers their orders. 
• Will I know exactly when my Share(s) will arrive?
  Spring Catch arrives May 15-18, 2018, Summer Catch arrives Oct. 2-5, 2018, Christmas Catch arrives Dec. 11-14, 2018, and the Winter Catch arrives March 19-22, 2019. You can read more here.
• What are your shipping prices?
  Have a look at my shipping chart here.
• If something goes wrong in shipping, what happens?
  If you have a problem of any kind, I'm there for you. Short of customer negligence, I'll work with you to make just about any issue right.  If a shipment is lost in transit, no need to hassle with FedEx. Just let me know and I'll send you a replacement. If I made a mistake in your order, I'll feel terrible and quickly ask how I can fix it––whether that's a credit for the future or a replacement order. Because my policy is based on common sense and is trust-based, I rely on all parties acting in good faith. 
• How will my Share be shipped?
  My shipping page has a lot of info on this topic. However, in a nutshell I ship FedEx 1-2 Day Ground to the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and southeast as well as the eastern midwest. I ship FedEx 2-Day Express to all other states (western midwest and western states).

Storage / Handeling

• I just got my Share, now what?
  Inside your box there should be a sheet or card with detailed instructions and some photos of your fish being caught. Read that first then proceed. Bring your box inside and position it close to your freezer. There may be tape covering the lid seam so you'll need to either remove the foam cooler from the cardboard outer or simply cut the cardboard outer off. Remove the tape covering the lid seam (removing is better than slicing around the lid). Remove the foam lid and behold your glorious seafood! Once you're done doing that, carefully place your seafood in your freezer. In most cases your seafood should be in 10 lb. presentation boxes. These presentation boxes are meant primarily to protect your seafood while in transit and in your home freezer. Ideally you would open each box to visually check for broken seals. See below ("Broken Vacuum Seals") for info on that.
• How should I store and handle my Share?
  To avoid broken vacuum seals and the resulting freezer burn, treat your seafood carefully. This means tossing or dropping your seafood is a bad idea. Additionally, you don't want other other frozen goods crushing or otherwise bashing around your seafood. I recommend you segregate your valuable and precious seafood in its own area of the freezer.
• Broken vacuum seals.
  Although I use above industry standard 5 mil vacuum bags, sometimes a vacuum seal is broken in transit. If you see a piece of seafood with a lose seal (ie the plastic is not tight on the fish), set that piece aside to eat first. While your seafood will last 8 months or more in pristine condition in your home freezer, a piece of seafood with a broken vacuum bag seal will freezer burn in a month or less. Ideally you will visually inspect all your seafood before storing it in your freezer. This can be nothing more than a quick glance as you move it from the shipping cooler to your freezer. 
  
  Vacuum bag seals can be lost in transit but they can also be lost in your home freezer. This is generally due to rough treatment, so be careful with your seafood and it will feed you all year!