There are five species of Alaska Salmon, each with its own distinct characteristics. Each has at least two common names.

KING, CHINOOK, TYEE, SPRING, BLACKMOUTH

Largest and least abundant of all 5 species.

4 to 7 year life span.

Average weight: approximately 20 lbs. Record 126.5 lbs.

Prized for red flesh, rich flavor, high oil content, and firm texture

Most often served in upscale restaurants.

Traditional salmon for lox.

SOCKEYE, RED OR BLUEBACK

Known for its deep red flesh, Sockeye retains its color, firm texture, and distinctive flavor when cooked or processed.

4 to 6 year life span.

Average weight: approximately 6 lbs.

Has long been the salmon of choice of the quality conscious Japanese market for sashimi.

COHO OR SILVER

Second largest of 5 species.

3 to 4 year life span.

Average weight: approximately 12 lbs.

Known for their orange-red flesh, superior texture, and excellent eye appeal.

Salmon steaks served in restaurants are usually Silver.

CHUM OR DOG

Strong foodservice demand; used in almost every segment.

3 to 5 year life span.

Average weight: approximately 8 lbs.

Found in supermarkets as “Silver Bright Salmon”.

Often smoked.

Their large eggs are highly valued in Japan as Sujiko.

PINK OR HUMPIE

Smallest and most abundant of 5 species.

2 year life span.

Average weight: approximately 2-3 lbs.

Known for their light, rose-colored flesh and delicate flavor. Their abundant supply makes them an attractive value.

Usually canned. Often sold in supermarkets as whole frozen fish.

Alaska Salmon

Salmon spend their adult lives in the open ocean, growing rapidly, feeding primarily on herring, smelt and crustaceans such as crab and shrimp larvae. In the summer of their maturity, inner instinct and earth cues guide them back not only to their parent stream, but back to the exact tributary in which they were born. Scientists theorize that salmon, like migrating birds, use the magnetism of the earth to guide them from thousands of miles at sea to the general area of their parent stream. Once in the area of their parent stream, salmon depend on the characteristic scent in the water from the minerals in the rock and vegetation along the bank. This smell imprints on the young salmon before it goes to sea, so it can literally smell its way back home.

The journey upstream is an arduous one. The fish batter themselves against rocks while leaping waterfalls. Unlucky ones are eaten by bears and eagles. A great amount of energy is expended in the swim upstream. Salmon in the Yukon River swim up to 2400 miles. Salmon stop eating once they enter fresh water, so their bodies are steadily being depleted of fat. 90 percent of their fat reserves and 50 percent of their protein are consumed in this upstream journey.

Once in the stream and over the spawning grounds, salmon pair up. The female digs a series of shallow holes in the gravel, using her tail. Into these holes, she deposits about 3,000 eggs. As she deposits the eggs, the male fertilizes them. The female then covers the eggs with gravel, using her tail again. Within days of spawning, both male and female die. The young salmon, at about an inch long, emerge from the gravel in the spring, usually April in S.E. Alaska. The majority of the salmon in this area head downstream immediately. When young salmon enter the salt water their source of food is plankton. Plankton are minute, often microscopic plants and animals that drift freely in the ocean. Mother nature has it very well orchestrated so that just as the young salmon enter salt water, there is a massive increase in the numbers of plankton. This phenomenon is called a “bloom”. This plankton bloom is no accident of nature. The bloom is tied in a direct way with the death of the adult salmon the previous fall. When salmon go upstream to spawn, they get pulled out onto the banks in great numbers by bears and eagles. The nutrients from decomposition leach into the ground. In the spring, when the snow melts, the nutrient materials are washed downstream to the estuary and out into the ocean. This influx of nutrients from the land plus the long days with ample sunshine is what triggers this plankton bloom. Thus, we might consider that the young salmon are eating their parents through the food chain!

After a few weeks of feeding in the estuaries the young salmon head out to sea to mature and repeat the lifecycle that their ancestors have completed for 10,000 years.