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| About Wild Alaska Salmon |
Wild Alaska Salmon
The five species of Alaska salmon are members of a large family of fish known as
salmonidae which are abundant throughout the temperate zones of the Northern and
Southern Hemispheres. Salmon and their salmonidae relatives, which include Atlantic
salmon, are active and aggressive predators who demand the high levels of oxygen most
commonly found in cold, rushing streams, estuaries, and the upper levels of the ocean.
Pacific salmon occur from California north along the Pacific coast throughout the Pacific
Ocean, Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean waters adjacent to Alaska. Alaska’s wild salmon
resource is the greatest in the world.
Alaska salmon belong to the genus Oncorhynchus, a name formed by combining two Greek
words, “onco” meaning hook or barb, and “rhyno”, meaning nose. The scientific names for
each of the five species were given during the exploration of Siberia, and reflect the native
vernacular names for the fish. Thus, we have:
Scientific name Common name Other names
Oncorhynchus gorbusha Pink Humpy, Humpback
Oncorhynchus keta Chum Keta
Oncorhynchus kisutch Coho Silver
Oncorhynchus nerka Sockeye Red
Oncorhynchus tschawytscha King Chinook
Alaska salmon are anadromous, that is, they spawn in fresh water and the young migrate to
the sea where they mature. The timing of spawning and migration varies among the five
species, but they all need abundant, pure, fresh water for spawning. The fresh water that
attracts the maturing salmon from the ocean vastness to the interior of the continent to
spawn also draws the salmon to man’s doorstep.
Although the spawning characteristics of each of the five
species of Alaska salmon differ, each maintains the same
timing year after year, and, with few exceptions, the mature
adults return to the stream of their birth.
Wild Alaska Salmon which will spawn in the headwaters of a river or lake system (king,
coho and sockeye), arrive earlier than do the pink and chum which spawn closer to
tidewater. Because salmon do not eat after they have entered fresh water, they leave the
ocean heavy with the fats and nutrients on which they will subsist during their freshwater
phase. The longer and more rigorous the freshwater trip, the more fat the fish will carry as
he leaves the ocean. A Yukon River king headed for spawning grounds 2,400 miles (4,000
kilometers) away and 2,200 feet (670 meters) above sea level near Lake Teslin will enter
the river an unusually rich, vigorous fish.
How wild salmon return so unerringly from mid-ocean to a
stream which may be only a trickle hundreds of miles from
tidewater is not fully understood by biologists. Except where
humans have interfered, however, the salmon returning to
the various river systems and streams of Alaska are unique
species which may mingle in the ocean and even in the
estuary, but return faithfully to the gravel from which they
emerged two to six years earlier. Fish that enter fresh water
early in the season are more brightly colored than those that
arrive later, but all salmon turn darker as the time to spawn approaches. Pronounced
morphological changes take place, particularly in the spawning male. The female selects a
suitable patch of gravel, and excavates the nest. When she is ready, she allows the male to
fertilize her eggs as she deposits them in the gravel.
Five to seven months after spawning, the young wild salmon fry emerge from the gravel
where the spawning pair deposited and fertilized the eggs the fall before. Some of the fry
will go to sea almost immediately, while others, such as sockeye, king and coho will remain
in streams and lakes for a year or more. When the fry migrate toward the sea, they undergo
certain changes which prepare them for life in salt water; during this stage of life they are
called smolts. In the estuary, where salt and fresh water mix and food is abundant, a smolt
may double or even triple its weight before venturing westward into the Gulf of Alaska or
Bering Sea. Depending on the species, the salmon may go within a few miles of the
Kamchatka Peninsula which extends southward from Siberia toward the western tip of the
Aleutian Islands.
Growth rates in the ocean are no less astonishing than those in the estuary. A two-inch wild
pink salmon which leaves the estuary and moves offshore in early-to-mid summer can
return slightly more than a year later as a two-foot, five-pound adult. Wild pink salmon
spend a year in ocean waters; other species may spend four, five or even six years in the
ocean pastures growing to prodigious size. A 126-pound king salmon landed in
Southeastern Alaska is thought to have spent seven years in the ocean.
Life History
The female salmon excavates a shallow depression, called a red, in the gravel of the stream
bed wherein she lays her eggs. The eggs usually range from orange to red in color. One or
more males will approach the female as she deposits the eggs, fertilising them. The female
then...click here for some information
Red Salmon - Sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka) click here for more
information
Blue-tinged silver in color, Sockeye Salmon live four to five years. They
weigh up to 7 pounds, and are the slimmest and most streamlined of the
five species of Alaskan Salmon. Known to fishermen in Alaska as reds, the
Sockeye is historically our most valuable fish because of its high oil
content and ability to hold its bright red flesh color.
Silver Salmon - Coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Click here for more
information
Bright silver in color, Coho Salmon live three years, weigh up to 15 pounds.
They are the most popular game fish of the salmon family, as well as one
of the most valuable commercial species. Coho’s versatile full flavor is
coupled with fine-textured, consistently red flesh.
King Salmon - Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Click here for
more information
Lightly spotted on their blue-green back, Chinook Salmon live from five to
seven years, and weigh up to 120 lb. Also known as springs or kings, they
are the most prized game salmon for sport fishers. Chinook is the largest
species, with richly flavored, firm flesh ranging from ivory white to deep
red in color.
Pink - Humpy, Humpback (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)
Living only two years, pinks are the smallest of the Pacific salmon,
weighing up to 5 lb. They have heavily spotted backs over silver bodies.
Pink salmon are the most plentiful of the five species. They have a delicate
flavor and light flesh color.
Chum Salmon - Dogs (Oncorhynchus keta)
Resembling sockeye, chum (or keta) salmon have black specks over their
silvery sides and faint grid-like bars. They live three to five years, and
weigh up to 10 lb. Chum salmon offers a milder, more delicate flavor with
a creamy pink to medium red flesh color
Babies Are Smarter If Moms ...
Counterfeit Salmon
The five species of Alaska salmon are members of a large family of fish known as
salmonidae which are abundant throughout the temperate zones of the Northern and
Southern Hemispheres. Salmon and their salmonidae relatives, which include Atlantic
salmon, are active and aggressive predators who demand the high levels of oxygen most
commonly found in cold, rushing streams, estuaries, and the upper levels of the ocean.
Pacific salmon occur from California north along the Pacific coast throughout the Pacific
Ocean, Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean waters adjacent to Alaska. Alaska’s wild salmon
resource is the greatest in the world.
Alaska salmon belong to the genus Oncorhynchus, a name formed by combining two Greek
words, “onco” meaning hook or barb, and “rhyno”, meaning nose. The scientific names for
each of the five species were given during the exploration of Siberia, and reflect the native
vernacular names for the fish. Thus, we have:
Scientific name Common name Other names
Oncorhynchus gorbusha Pink Humpy, Humpback
Oncorhynchus keta Chum Keta
Oncorhynchus kisutch Coho Silver
Oncorhynchus nerka Sockeye Red
Oncorhynchus tschawytscha King Chinook
Alaska salmon are anadromous, that is, they spawn in fresh water and the young migrate to
the sea where they mature. The timing of spawning and migration varies among the five
species, but they all need abundant, pure, fresh water for spawning. The fresh water that
attracts the maturing salmon from the ocean vastness to the interior of the continent to
spawn also draws the salmon to man’s doorstep.
Although the spawning characteristics of each of the five
species of Alaska salmon differ, each maintains the same
timing year after year, and, with few exceptions, the mature
adults return to the stream of their birth.
Wild Alaska Salmon which will spawn in the headwaters of a river or lake system (king,
coho and sockeye), arrive earlier than do the pink and chum which spawn closer to
tidewater. Because salmon do not eat after they have entered fresh water, they leave the
ocean heavy with the fats and nutrients on which they will subsist during their freshwater
phase. The longer and more rigorous the freshwater trip, the more fat the fish will carry as
he leaves the ocean. A Yukon River king headed for spawning grounds 2,400 miles (4,000
kilometers) away and 2,200 feet (670 meters) above sea level near Lake Teslin will enter
the river an unusually rich, vigorous fish.
How wild salmon return so unerringly from mid-ocean to a
stream which may be only a trickle hundreds of miles from
tidewater is not fully understood by biologists. Except where
humans have interfered, however, the salmon returning to
the various river systems and streams of Alaska are unique
species which may mingle in the ocean and even in the
estuary, but return faithfully to the gravel from which they
emerged two to six years earlier. Fish that enter fresh water
early in the season are more brightly colored than those that
arrive later, but all salmon turn darker as the time to spawn approaches. Pronounced
morphological changes take place, particularly in the spawning male. The female selects a
suitable patch of gravel, and excavates the nest. When she is ready, she allows the male to
fertilize her eggs as she deposits them in the gravel.
Five to seven months after spawning, the young wild salmon fry emerge from the gravel
where the spawning pair deposited and fertilized the eggs the fall before. Some of the fry
will go to sea almost immediately, while others, such as sockeye, king and coho will remain
in streams and lakes for a year or more. When the fry migrate toward the sea, they undergo
certain changes which prepare them for life in salt water; during this stage of life they are
called smolts. In the estuary, where salt and fresh water mix and food is abundant, a smolt
may double or even triple its weight before venturing westward into the Gulf of Alaska or
Bering Sea. Depending on the species, the salmon may go within a few miles of the
Kamchatka Peninsula which extends southward from Siberia toward the western tip of the
Aleutian Islands.
Growth rates in the ocean are no less astonishing than those in the estuary. A two-inch wild
pink salmon which leaves the estuary and moves offshore in early-to-mid summer can
return slightly more than a year later as a two-foot, five-pound adult. Wild pink salmon
spend a year in ocean waters; other species may spend four, five or even six years in the
ocean pastures growing to prodigious size. A 126-pound king salmon landed in
Southeastern Alaska is thought to have spent seven years in the ocean.
Life History
The female salmon excavates a shallow depression, called a red, in the gravel of the stream
bed wherein she lays her eggs. The eggs usually range from orange to red in color. One or
more males will approach the female as she deposits the eggs, fertilising them. The female
then...click here for some information
Red Salmon - Sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka) click here for more
information
Blue-tinged silver in color, Sockeye Salmon live four to five years. They
weigh up to 7 pounds, and are the slimmest and most streamlined of the
five species of Alaskan Salmon. Known to fishermen in Alaska as reds, the
Sockeye is historically our most valuable fish because of its high oil
content and ability to hold its bright red flesh color.
Silver Salmon - Coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Click here for more
information
Bright silver in color, Coho Salmon live three years, weigh up to 15 pounds.
They are the most popular game fish of the salmon family, as well as one
of the most valuable commercial species. Coho’s versatile full flavor is
coupled with fine-textured, consistently red flesh.
King Salmon - Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Click here for
more information
Lightly spotted on their blue-green back, Chinook Salmon live from five to
seven years, and weigh up to 120 lb. Also known as springs or kings, they
are the most prized game salmon for sport fishers. Chinook is the largest
species, with richly flavored, firm flesh ranging from ivory white to deep
red in color.
Pink - Humpy, Humpback (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)
Living only two years, pinks are the smallest of the Pacific salmon,
weighing up to 5 lb. They have heavily spotted backs over silver bodies.
Pink salmon are the most plentiful of the five species. They have a delicate
flavor and light flesh color.
Chum Salmon - Dogs (Oncorhynchus keta)
Resembling sockeye, chum (or keta) salmon have black specks over their
silvery sides and faint grid-like bars. They live three to five years, and
weigh up to 10 lb. Chum salmon offers a milder, more delicate flavor with
a creamy pink to medium red flesh color
Babies Are Smarter If Moms ...
Counterfeit Salmon
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