Pacific Salmon

Five species of Pacific salmon are found in North American waters, from Alaska to southern California. They are the chinook salmon (also called king, or spring, salmon); the sockeye, or red, salmon; the coho, or silver, salmon; the chum salmon (also called dog, or keta, salmon); and the pink, or humpback, salmon.

Chinook and coho are the most important sport species. Commercially the pink salmon holds first place in quantity caught, the sockeye in value of the catch. A few populations of certain species of Pacific salmon are landlocked, spending their entire lives in freshwater.

Pacific salmon are silvery with bluish backs that are spotted with black. As the fish mature and reach spawning time, their color changes to shades of red, yellow, or black, depending on species and sex. The males also develop a hook at the tip of both jaws.

The chinook salmon is the largest of the Pacific species, weighing about 20 to 25 pounds (9 to 11.3 kg). An average mature fish is about 4 feet (120 cm) long. The flesh is red, pink, or white.

The sockeye salmon weighs about 5 pounds (2.3 kg) and is about 2 feet (60 cm) long. It is highly prized for its firm, red flesh and excellent flavor.

The chum salmon usually weighs 8 to 18 pounds (3.6 to 8.2 kg) and reaches a length of 3 feet (90 cm). The flesh is whitish.

The pink salmon is the smallest of the Pacific species. It weighs about 3 to 5 pounds (1.4 to 2.3 kg) and is about 2 feet (60 cm) long. The flesh is pink. An unusual feature of the pink salmon is that on its way to spawn the male develops a large hump on its back.

The coho salmon attains a length of about 3 feet (90 cm) and usually weighs 6 to 15 pounds (2.7 to 6.8 kg). The flesh ranges from pink to red.