I smoke a lot of salmon and would like to send to family via UPS. I found this article and it claims that my vacuum-packed salmon has a shelf life of 5 years. Here is the article: "Hot smoked salmon produces a thoroughly cooked fish, by smoking it from 6 to 12 hours at temperatures ranging from 120° to 180°F.* Since it is cooked salmon, it is eaten like any other cooked salmon, but can be used in most of the same preparations as cold smoked salmon. To the untrained eye, some hot smoked preparations can look the same as cold smoked in the package (some are smoked more lightly, so they still retain some translucency). Up close, the flesh is somewhat to fully opaque and it flakes, like cooked fish. Generally, hot smoking involves holding the food directly above the fire, or in an enclosure that is heated by the fire (barbecue is a form of hot smoking). The temperatures reached in hot smoking can kill microbes in the food. Presentation: Hot smoked salmon is sold in fillets, but you can get a 20-ounce fillet that looks like a “side.” If it’s in a decorative box, in a gift basket or on a shelf (i.e., not refrigerated), it’s hot smoked salmon. See Page 4 for the different types of hot smoked salmon. Longevity: Hot smoked salmon can be packaged to have an unrefrigerated shelf life of up to 5 years. It is great to keep in the pantry for an impromptu meal or hors d’oeuvres for unexpected guests."