PACIFIC NORTHWEST SALMON TYPES
By Seth
The five types of salmon in the Pacific Northwest are: Chinook, Coho, Chum, Pink, and Sockeye. These salmon range as far south as Monterey, California. They range as far east as Siberia. The Chinook salmon migrate farther than any other salmon and will travel up to 2000 miles inland to spawn. Salmon spawn once and then they die after fertilizing their eggs.
Chinook: The Chinook salmon is also known as the king salmon. Adult Chinook salmon grow about four feet long and about 40 to 50 lbs in weight. The Chinook salmon usually mature when theyíre about 3 years old. Chinook return to where they spawned in the spring, summer and fall. The female Chinook make redds(holes for their eggs) with their powerful tails. Then the female salmon will lay 3,000 to 7,000 eggs. The male salmon will then let sperm out to fertilize the eggs.
Coho: Coho usually weigh about 8 lbs. although people have been known to catch 30 lbs. Coho. The Coho salmon return to where they spawned in the fall. The female Coho digs many redds and lays about 4,000 eggs. The eggs then hatch and the baby Coho gather in schools .Almost all Coho migrate during the spring of their second year.
Chum: The Chum salmon have the second widest range of migration. The average weight of a Chum salmon is 9 lbs. but sometimes they can weigh up to 30lbs. The Chum salmon spawn in tidal rivers near the ocean. Even though they are not good jumpers, they are fast swimmers. They donít go very far inland.
Pink Salmon: The Pink Salmonís nickname is humpy. The life of the Pink Salmon in freshwater is only about two weeks. They can weigh up to 12 lbs. When the male Pink salmon matures, its nose becomes hooked and it also develops a hump on his back.
Sockeye Salmon: The average adult Sockeye Salmon weigh up to 12 lbs. The Sockeye return to the river where they spawn when they are 3 and 8 years old. The female Sockeye Salmon dig redds and lay about 3,500 eggs. When the eggs hatch in spring, they go directly to a lake and donít leave for about a year.