The annual Copper River Salmon run is heralded in Seattle with the airplane arrival of the first salmon, carried down a red carpet at Sea-Tac by an Alaska Airlines pilot. This year the plane wasn’t as full of salmon as expected. Fishing has been hampered by bad weather and lower salmon counts. Tack on the higher transportation costs and the prices are sitting at $25 to $35 per pound. The buying public is dealing with higher food prices and fuel costs in their own day-to-day lives so this coveted Copper River Salmon isn’t getting as many takers.