When it comes to salmon, most consumers do not know what they are buying! From the different species to questions regarding wild or farm raised? Troll caught vs netted? Below we will break down the various salmon species and answer some of the basic questions to prepare you to become more informed for your own dining rooms and customers.
Salmon Species #
Chinook Salmon #
• Also known as Kings
• The largest of the species, up to 125 lbs. Most average 10-15 lbs.
• Can live up to seven years
• Fall spawner with Spring, Summer, and Fall runs
• Spawn most often in large rivers or streams and in deep, fast water
• Flesh color may vary from white to pink to red
• Least abundant of North American Pacific salmon
General Info #
Chinook salmon are the largest of the Pacific salmon, with some individuals growing to more than 100 pounds. These huge fish are rare, as most mature chinook are under 50 pounds.
Spawning: Most chinook spawn in large rivers such as the Columbia and Snake, although they will also use smaller streams with sufficient water flow. They tend to spawn in the mainstem of streams, where the water flow is high. Because of their size they are able to spawn in larger gravel than most other salmon.
Chinook spawn on both sides of the Cascade Range, and some fish travel hundreds of miles upstream before they reach their spawning grounds. Because of the distance, these fish enter streams early and comprise the spring and summer runs. Fall runs spawn closer to the ocean and more often use small coastal streams. All chinook reach their spawning grounds by fall, in time to spawn.
Rearing: Chinook fry rear in freshwater from three months to a year, depending on the race of chinook and the location. Spring chinook tend to stay in streams for a year; fish in northern areas, where the streams are less productive and growth is slower, also tend to stay longer. Rearing chinook fry use mainstems and their tributaries.
Coho Salmon #
• Also known as Silvers
• 6-12 lbs, but can grow up to 30 lbs.
• Fall spawner
• Spend one to two years in freshwater before migrating to sea
• Require small headwater streams for pre-migration period
• Originally one of the most commercially sought after species; now depleted in many areas
General Info #
Coho are a very popular sport fish in Washington and Oregon. This species uses coastal streams and tributaries, and is often present in small neighborhood streams. Coho can even be found in urban settings if their needs of cold, clean, year-round water are met.
Spawning: Coho spawn in small coastal streams and the tributaries of larger rivers. They prefer areas of mid-velocity water with small to medium sized gravels. Because they use small streams with limited space, they must use many such streams to successfully reproduce, which is why coho can be found in virtually every small coastal stream with a year-round flow.
Returning coho often gather at the mouths of streams and wait for the water flow to rise, such as after a rain storm, before heading upstream. The higher flows and deeper water enable the fish to pass obstacles, such as logs across the stream or beaver dams, that would otherwise be impassable.
Rearing: Coho have a very regular life history. They are deposited in the gravel as eggs in the fall, emerge from the gravel the next spring, and in their second spring go to sea, about 18 months after being deposited. Coho fry are usually found in the pools of small coastal streams and the tributaries of larger rivers.
Chum Salmon #
• Also known as Dogs for their canine-like teeth, or as Keta after their Nanai (Asian aboriginal group) name
• Broadest geographic range of all the species, extending from California to Korea
• 10-15 lbs, but can grow up to 33 lbs.
• Fall spawner
• Spawn low in river systems
• Migrate to sea soon after hatching
• Flesh color may vary from white to pink to red
• Drier flesh well-suited for smoking
General Info #
Male chum salmon develop large “teeth” during spawning, which resemble canine teeth. This may explain the nickname ‘dog salmon’.
Spawning: Chum use small coastal streams and the lower reaches of larger rivers. They often use the same streams as coho, but coho tend to move further up the watershed and chum generally spawn closer to saltwater. This may be due to their larger size, which requires deeper water to swim in, or their jumping ability, which is inferior to coho. Either way, the result is a watershed divided between the two species, with all the niches filled.
Like coho, chum can be found in virtually every small coastal stream in Washington. In Oregon, they are limited to a few streams along the northern coast and lower Columbia River. In the fall, large numbers of chum can often be seen in the lower reaches of these streams, providing opportunities to view wild salmon in a natural environment.
Rearing: Chum fry do not rear in freshwater for more than a few days. Shortly after they emerge, chum fry move downstream to the estuary and rear there for several months before heading out to the open ocean.
Pink Salmon #
• Also known as Humpies
• Most abundant of the species
• Smallest of the species
• 3-5 lbs, but can grow up to 12 lbs.
• Fall spawner
• Often spawn in estuaries or lower reaches of rivers
• Migrate to sea soon after hatching
• Two-year life cycle with alternate even and odd year runs
• Lowest fat content of the species
• Frequently used for canning
General Info #
Male pink salmon develop a large hump on their back during spawning, hence the nickname humpback salmon. This is the smallest of the fall-spawning Pacific salmon. In Washington, pink salmon runs only occur in odd-numbered years.
Spawning: Pinks use the mainstems of large rivers and some tributaries, often very close to saltwater. Because their fry move directly to sea after emerging, the closer they spawn to saltwater the better. The shorter journey reduces predation and increases survival. Sometimes pink salmon spawn right in saltwater, avoiding freshwater altogether.
Pinks have a very regular life history, living for two years before returning to spawn the next generation. This is why pink runs in Washington only occur every other year; there are no one-year-old or three-year-old fish to establish runs in the other years.
Rearing: As mentioned, pink fry do not rear in freshwater. Immediately after emerging they move downstream to the estuary and rear there for several months before heading out to the open ocean. Because of this, pink fry have no spots, which provide camouflage in streams, but are bright chrome for open water.
Sockeye Salmon #
• Also known as Reds
• 5-8 lbs, but can grow up to 15 lbs.
• Fall spawner
• Darkest flesh of the species
• Name comes from the First Nation sukkai, meaning “fish”
• Greatest variety of life history patterns — spawn not only in rivers but also in lakes
• Often spend one to three years in freshwater before migrating to sea
• Some populations have become land-locked, and are known as kokanee salmon
General Info #
Sockeye are the most flavorful Pacific salmon. In Washington, sockeye are found in Lake Washington, Baker Lake, Ozette Lake, Quinault Lake, and Lake Wenatchee. In Oregon, dams and other impacts have eliminated Sockeye runs from the Deschutes River and the Grande Ronde System (Wallowa Lake), however, Kokanee Salmon are available in these systems and have been introduced to other systems as well.
Spawning: Sockeye are unique in that they require a lake to rear in as fry, so the river they choose to spawn in must have a lake in the system. This seems to be the most important criteria for choosing a spawning ground, as sockeye adapt to a range of water velocities and substrates.
Large rivers that supplied sufficient room for spawning and rearing historically supported huge runs of sockeye, numbering into the millions. One such run still exists today on the Adams River in British Columbia, a tributary to the Fraser River. The Canadian government has built viewing platforms for visitors, and annual runs of over a million sockeye are common.
Rearing: Juvenile sockeye rear for one or two years in a lake, although they are also found in the inlet and outlet streams of the lake. Sockeye fry are often preyed on by resident lake fish, and because they use freshwater year-round, they are susceptible to low water quality.
Steelhead #
• Live as much as four years in freshwater before migrating to sea
• 8-11 lbs, but can grow up to 40 lbs.
• Spring spawner with Summer and Winter runs
• May mature without ever leaving fresh water, in which case they are called rainbow trout
• Often do not die after spawning, but will re-migrate to the ocean
• Highly prized by anglers for their fighting spirit
General Info #
Steelhead and Rainbow Trout are the same species, but Rainbows are freshwater only, and Steelhead are anadromous, or go to sea. Unlike most salmon, Steelhead can survive spawning, and can spawn in multiple years.
Spawning: Steelhead spawn in the spring. They generally prefer fast water in small-to-large mainstem rivers, and medium-to-large tributaries. In streams with steep gradient and large substrate, they spawn between these steep areas, where the water is flatter and the substrate is small enough to dig into. The steeper areas then make excellent rearing habitat for the juveniles.
Like Chinook, Steelhead have two runs, a summer run and a winter run. Most summer runs are east of the Cascades, and enter streams in summer to reach the spawning grounds by the following spring. A few western Washington rivers also have established runs of summer Steelhead. Winter runs spawn closer to the ocean, and require less travel time.
Rearing: Steelhead fry emerge from the gravel in summer and generally rear for two or three years in freshwater, occasionally one or four years, depending on the productivity of the stream. Streams high in the mountains and those in northern climates are generally less productive. Due to their faster growth, hatchery Steelhead smolt at one year of age.
Fry use areas of fast water and large substrate for rearing. They wait in the eddies behind large rocks, allowing the river to bring them food in the form of insects, salmon eggs, and smaller fish.
Q&A: #
What is Salmon Farming? #
Salmon farming is the practice of rearing hatchery-origin salmon from smolt to adult size in a net-cage, pond or contained system. As currently practiced on a commercial scale, salmon farming in most regions involves the use of large floating open net-cage pens, usually located in sheltered bays along the coast. In BC, the open net-cages are generally sited in close proximity to wild salmon streams and rivers.
What is the difference between Atlantic and Pacific salmon? #
Other than the obvious fact that wild Atlantic salmon are found in the Atlantic Ocean and wild Pacific salmon are generally found in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic salmon are from the genus Salmo and Pacific salmon are from the genus Oncorhynchus. The major distinction is that, unlike the Salmo genus, most species of the Oncorhynchus genus die after spawning once. There are seven species within Oncorhynchus that populate BC waters: pink, coho, sockeye, spring/chinook, chum, cutthroat and steelhead.
How Can You Tell if the Salmon is Farmed or Wild? #
In the marketplace: If it isn’t labeled, you can’t always be certain without asking the retailer or restaurant. It is always best to ask. However, there are some clues. If the label reads “Atlantic” salmon then it is farmed. In Canada, there are no legal commercial fisheries for Atlantic salmon and virtually all Atlantic salmon served in restaurants or sold in stores are farmed fish. If the label simply reads “fresh salmon”, there is a good chance it is farmed. Most wild salmon will be identified by species – pink, coho, sockeye, spring/chinook or chum salmon. But chinook (also called spring) salmon are farmed as well so the name is not a guarantee. Always ask. If it’s farmed, don’t buy it and tell the store to stop selling it until the industry adopts better practices.
On the water: Escaped farmed Atlantic salmon have been captured as far away from BC’s farms as Alaska, where they are considered an invasive species. Although Atlantic salmon look somewhat like coho, here are a few ways to tell the difference:
• Atlantic salmon have large black spots on their gill covers and no spots on their tails. Pacific species of salmon do not have spots on their gill covers but many species have spots on their tails
• The upper lip on Atlantic salmon doesn’t extend past the back of their eye
• Atlantic salmon have 8-12 fin rays on their anal fin, while Pacific salmon usually have more than 12
If you do see escaped Atlantic salmon, keep the fish and report the capture by calling Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO) Atlantic Salmon Watch Program’s toll-free reporting line at 1-800-811-6010.
What are the benefits of line versus net caught salmon? #
For several reasons, line or “troll-caught” salmon is generally the best quality fish you will find. These fish are often caught further from the fresh water and spawning phase of their life cycle, which translates into a bright, shimmering silver skin color and very high fat content and flesh quality. Troll-caught salmon are handled one at a time with “kid gloves” by the fishermen who can expect to receive top dollar for their catch. The salmon are often immediately bled, cleaned, and iced or frozen while still on the boat–and often referred to as “FAS” for “frozen at sea.”
In contrast, while net caught fish may also exhibit excellent skin color and flesh quality, they tend to be caught nearer to shore in higher volume, so don’t receive the individual attention given to troll caught fish. Consequently, they may incur some skin discoloration and bruising. While net-caught fish are often immediately chilled in refrigerated sea water (or totes of ice on smaller vessels) they are seldom bled or cleaned until being delivered to shore based processing plants. While most Vital Choice Alaskan king and silver salmon are troll caught, this harvest method is not commercially effective for sockeye salmon, which are caught primarily by either gill net or purse seine. This is because sockeye feed primarily on plankton and krill, and will rarely strike a troller’s lure.
I’ve heard farmed salmon is naturally a grey colour and that it is dyed pink or red – is this true? #
Yes. Wild salmon get their pink to red flesh from the diet they consume including crustaceans such as shrimp or krill. Since farmed salmon eat a diet of pellets, the colorants canthaxanthin or astaxanthin are added to the feed to create that appealing ‘salmon’ color. Retailers in the United States are required by the Food and Drug Administration to label salmon containing colorants. There are no similar regulations in Canada.
