We are excited to partner with fellow woman-owned small business, AlaSkins, to make healthy, crunchy, wild & natural dog treats on the Kenai Peninsula. Made with 100% Wild Alaska fish skins that are normally discarded in processing, they're a special treat for all of our four-footed friends.
AlaSkins is owned by Sara Erickson, a 3rd generation Alaskan who grew up commercial fishing with her family in Bristol Bay and Cook Inlet. Her passion for the health benefits and sustainability of Wild Alaska Seafood led her to build her business, which manufactures and sells premium, natural and healthy dog treats using those fish skins, at her production plant in Soldotna, Alaska.
We asked Sara a few questions about her story:
What inspired you to start AlaSkins?
"Even as a young girl commercial fishing with my family out in Bristol Bay, my dad always commented on what a waste it was that processing plants just dumped the fish skins as he taught us they were the healthiest part of the fish. We had long days on the boat where we discussed the possibilities and potential uses of what those skins could be. I always imagined to turn it into some sort of pet food. So my inspiration was growing up in Alaska and loving the bounty in our oceans - seeing the wasted part of the fish and understanding the value of what was being tossed."
Tell us a little about your background and family history as it relates to Alaska and its seafood.
"My father came up to Alaska with the air force when he was 17 years old and stayed. He started commercial fishing in Bristol Bay in the late 50’s when they were still using sailboats. My mother’s parents homesteaded in Montana Creek Alaska and came up in the 40s. My dad was also a school teacher and taught in Newhalen (on Lake Iliamna) which is where I was born. My parents also owned the Iliaska Lodge in Iliamna. We commercial fished during the summers with my dad, mom ran the lodge and and my parents taught school in the fall/winter."
Where do you source your fish skins?
"All our fish skins come from processing plants here on the Kenai Peninsula and Kodiak."
Can you share a little about your process and how you are upcycling a product that usually gets discarded into high quality pet treats?
"Our mission is:
AlaSkins is dedicated to exploring innovative ways to eliminate waste by transforming what was once considered fish waste into valuable resources. We strive to make the best pet treats on the market using premium Alaska fish, embodying the essence of Alaska seafood for pets. Our mission is to promote sustainability and deliver high-quality, nutritious pet treats that reflect our commitment to environmental stewardship.
We follow a 100% fish model meaning we strive to use every part of the fish. We were just buying fish skins from processing plants, but we have made more products from even that “waste” product!
Products AlaSkins makes from “fish waste”:
1. We take the extra meat that comes off the halibut skins (sometimes they have a thick meaty layer left from skinning) and we can that meat for pets (our canned halibut).
2. Pure halibut oil. We only take the best part of the meat for canning, but all the fatty part and anything left over gets cooked down slowly rendering the oils out of the meat until we capture all the oils. We them strain the old till we get a beautiful jarred halibut oil.
3. The “fatty” part of the halibut meat that is left over from cooking out the oil is turned into our meal topper!
4. Smoked moose antlers - antlers of course are a shed from the moose and once considered a waste but dogs love to chew on them. But here at AlaSkins we take it a step further and soak our antlers with our halibut oil, which gets deep into the bone marrow, and then smoke them with apple wood producing an incredible healthy dog chew that truly is the epitome of Alaska wild.
5. Salmon kitty treats - when we make our whole salmon skins, we often get tail pieces or skins that break apart after dehydrating. We once were taking it home to our dogs but realized that our cats would follow behind and beg for them! So we started using those extra meaty skin parts of the salmon skins for cats!
So besides our incredible line up of our salmon, halibut and cod fish skin treats, we are able to create 5 additional products from our fish skins that would normally be thrown away. We’re still looking for ways to use every part of that fish! We hate seeing anything get thrown away."
What's your favorite part about running and Alaskan small business and collaborating with another, like Salmon Sisters?
"It’s truly exhilarating to witness AlaSkins’ growth over the years, and I’m proud to say we were the first manufacturer and processing plant in Alaska to transform our fish skins into pet treats. AlaSkins kicked off in 2017 with just a handful of wholesale customers and a few online orders. Fast forward to today, and we’re now in over 100 stores across Alaska, with thousands of online customers to boot! Our efforts haven’t gone unnoticed—we’ve been honored by the State of Alaska with awards like Manufacturer of the Year and Industry Innovator.
AlaSkins stands as a beacon for Alaska’s fishing industry, demonstrating how what we once considered “fish waste” can be turned into a goldmine of profit. Right now, 60% of our fish is discarded as we focus solely on fillets for export. But by tossing aside that “waste,” Alaska is leaving potentially billions of dollars in untapped revenue on the table. Take Iceland, for example—a country that’s mastered the art of turning cod into a financial powerhouse. Decades ago, Iceland faced desperate economic times and relied heavily on exporting cod fillets, much like Alaska does today. But instead of accepting waste as a byproduct, they innovated. They found ways to capitalize on every part of the cod—skins, heads, bones, livers, you name it. Today, Iceland’s fish waste isn’t just a sideline; it’s a multi-billion-dollar industry that often outpaces the revenue from their fillets alone.
In Iceland, cod skins are transformed into high-value leather goods and pet products, heads and bones become collagen supplements and fish stock, and livers yield premium cod liver oil packed with omega-3s. By embracing a 100% utilization model, Iceland has built an economic engine that generates billions annually—some estimates suggest their “waste” products now account for over half of their fisheries’ total revenue. This shift didn’t just save their economy; it propelled it forward, creating jobs, sparking innovation, and securing Iceland’s place as a global leader in sustainable seafood. Their success proves that what we discard can be worth more than what we keep if we’re willing to rethink our approach.
Here at AlaSkins, we’re starting with premium pet treats made from fish skins, but the possibilities for our fish waste are nearly limitless. Alaska’s fishing industry is crying out for revitalization, and fully utilizing our waste could be the key to breathing new life into it. Being part of a 100% fish model is my life’s passion—I’m obsessed with showcasing Alaska’s wild seafood not just to humans, but to our pets too! Every day at AlaSkins, we strive for excellence, and it blows my mind to see the incredible products we’ve created from what was once dismissed as “waste” from our prized wild Alaska seafood. I’m constantly dreaming up new ways to do more—it’s what gets me excited to step into my processing plant each morning.
And collaborating with Salmon Sisters? It’s a match made in heaven! We’re all “sisters” in salmon—Alaskan-born and raised, commercial fishing women with a deep love for our state’s fish. Salmon Sisters has taken Alaska’s seafood to the world stage with their brilliant marketing, cleverly spotlighting our resources and forging partnerships that amplify our reach. A collaboration between AlaSkins and Salmon Sisters feels long overdue—we’re a natural team, united in our mission to show off Alaska’s best, not just for humans, but for our pets too! Together, we’re proving that every part of our fish has value, and I can’t wait to see where this partnership takes us."
Amen! What's special about this new Salmon Sisters x AlaSkins Fish Skins Variety Bag?
What makes the Salmon Sisters and AlaSkins variety bag so special? For starters, it’s a groundbreaking first for AlaSkins—we’ve never crafted a mixed bag of fish treats before! I like to think of it as the “Salmon Sisters Special Blend,” a delightful medley showcasing all three of our star fish: salmon, cod, and halibut. It’s a one-of-a-kind treat that brings together the best of Alaska’s wild seafood in a way we’ve never done before!
Find our more about Sara Erickson's company AlaSkins at www.AlaSkins.com.