Alaska Salmon Species
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Good Fishing Dan Lewis, Taxidermist
W e l c o m e
HOW TO IDENTIFY THE 5 SALMON SPECIES FOUND IN ALASKA
Backcountry Taxidermy has compiled some necessary & interesting information (from Alaska Fish & Game and other sources) for successful fishing in our great state of Alaska. Check our Alaska Resources for guides / lodges & more.
KING (CHINOOK) SALMON
Blue-gray back with silvery sides. Small, irregularshaped black spots on back, dorsal fin, and usually on both lobes of the tail. Black mouth with black gums at base of teeth on lower jaw.
Spawning king salmon adults lose their silvery bright color and take on a maroon to olive brown color.
Spawning populations of Chinook salmon are found all the way from the Ventura River in southern California north to Point Hope, Alaska. The Yukon and Nushagak Rivers in Alaska,have the largest runs of Chinook salmon in the world. Chinook can stay at sea for 2 to 5 years and spawn from July to mid-August. The Chinook salmon's large size and high-quality flesh makes it one of Alaska's most valuable & prized sport fish.
CHUM (DOG) SALMON
Dull gray back with yellowish-silver sides. No distinct spots on back or tail. Large eye pupil — covers nearly the entire eye.
Spawning adults develop olive green coloration on the back with maroon sides covered with irregular dull red bars. Males exhibit many large caninelike teeth.
Chum salmon typically spawn in coastal rivers. Only the Yukon River in North America and the Amur River in Russia have chum populations that are long-distance travelers. These fish can migrate over two thousand miles to their spawning streams.
Summer chum salmon enter the Yukon on their spawning migrations from late May through mid-July. Fall chum salmon enter the river from late June through early September.
COHO (SILVER) SALMON
Greenish-blue back with silvery sides. Small black spots on the back, dorsal fin, and usually on upper lobe of tail only. Black mouth with white gums at base of teeth on lower jaw.
Spawning coho salmon adults develop greenish-black heads and dark brown to maroon bodies.
Coho salmon can be found from Monterey Bay in California to Point Hope in the Chukchi Sea. They range east in Interior rivers across the Alaska-Yukon border. They are found west to the Anadyr River in Siberia, and south along the coast of Asia to Japan. Coho salmon populations are less numerous than chum, pink and sockeye salmon, but they are still considered a relatively abundant fish. Coho salmon enter spawning streams from August through November where they school in pools or lakes for a number of weeks.
SOCKEYE (RED) SALMON
Dark blue-black back with silvery sides. No distinct spots on back, dorsal fin, or tail.
Spawning sockeye salmon adults develop dull green colored heads and brick-red to scarlet bodies.
The sockeye salmon ranges from the Klamath River in Oregon to Point Hope
in northwestern Alaska. Sockeyes have been caught in the Yukon River as far
up as Rampart. On the Asian side of the Pacific Ocean, sockeyes are also
found from the Anadyr River in Siberia south to Hokkaido, Japan. The largest
sockeye populations are in the Fraser River system in Canada, and in the Kvichak, Naknek, Ugashik, Egegik, and Nushagak Rivers that flow into Alaska’s Bristol Bay. In good years, these runs have tens of millions of fish.
Most sockeyes stay at sea for two years, returning to spawn in their fourth year, but some may be five or six. Adult sockeyes return to spawn between July and October. Spawning occurs most commonly in streams that connect to lakes.
PINK (HUMPY) SALMON
Very large spots on the back and large black oval blotches on both tail lobes. Very small scales.
Spawning adults take on a dull gray coloration on the back and upper sides with a creamy white color below. Males develop a pronounced hump.
The pink salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, is the smallest and most abundant of the Pacific salmon & has the shortest lifespan. Pink salmon can reach a length of 30 inches and a weight of up to 14 pounds, but a body weight between 2–7 pounds is more typical.
The range of the pink salmon extends from La Jolla, California north to the Arctic Ocean, east to the Mackenzie River Delta, and west across Siberia to the Lena River. In the western Pacific Ocean, pink salmon can be found as far south as Korea and Kyushu, Japan.
Adult Alaskan pink salmon range from the Bering Sea, out the Aleutian chain, and as far south as the California coast. Adults spend 18 months in the ocean then return to spawn completing their life cycle in just two years. Humpies spawn anytime from June to late September depending on location and distance from salt water. Due to the two year life cycle, the pink salmon runs in odd and even numbered years are genetically separate. These distinct populations can look slightly different and have much different run sizes.
KING (CHINOOK) SALMON
CHUM (DOG) SALMON
COHO (SILVER) SALMON
SOCKEYE (RED) SALMON
PINK (HUMPY) SALMON
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Alaska Fishing Calendar
Are generally as follows:
BUT SUBJECT TO ADF&G REGULATIONS
May 1 - Sept 30 --- Halibut
May 1 - July 20 --- Saltwater Kings
May 1 - July 31 --- Kenai River Kings
May 25 - Sept 5 --- Chums
June 10 - Aug 15 -- Sockeye Salmon
June 15 - Oct 31 --- Rainbow Trout
Aug 15 - Sept 30 --- Silver Salmon
August on even years - Pink Salmon
