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Pacific Salmon

It is hard to identify salmon simply by relying on their common names. This is because the bioloists who first named salmon, trout and char use different rules in different places, and had less tools at their disposal to distinguish between very similar species. Today, biologists are using genetic data to accurately classify these fish. The family Salmonidae is now divided into three major groups: salmon (genus Oncorhynchus), trout (genus Salmo), and char (genus Salvelinus). But even this grouping causes some confusion. As will be explained more fully later, Rainbow Trout now fall into the genus Oncorhynchus, and the Atlantic Salmon falls into the genus Salmo. That is, Rainbows are more salmon like, genetically, and Atlantic Salmon are more trout like, genetically, than early biologists understood. So, you must use the scientific name to really understand which genus a particular species is in.

It has been only in the past 2 decades that biologists have understood some of the subtle differences between the genus Salmo and the genus Oncorhynchus. In 1988, steelhead (sea-run rainbow trout) were reclassified from the genus Salmo to the genus Oncorhynchus, and their scientific name was changed from Salmo gairdneri to Oncorhynchus mykiss. In layman's terms, this simply means that the fisheries biologists now recognize that the rainbow trout and steelhead are more closely related to Pacific salmon than they are to brown trout and Atlantic salmon. One important distinction between Steelhead Trout and the Pacific Salmon is that the Steelhead Trout are iteroparous (can spawn multiple times) but the Pacific Salmon are all semelparous (they spawn once, and die).

Gary Moe's fall-hog Chinook, Columbia River.

There are seven salmon of the genus Oncorhynchus that die after spawning . All seven of these species occur in the Pacific Ocean, and are therefore referred to collectively as "the Pacific salmon." They are:

The first five species listed above occur on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. The last two occur only in Asian waters.

The Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) is a single species--of an entirely different genus--and is not one of the Pacific salmon species. They were confined to the Atlantic Ocean until commercially farmed Atlantic Salmon were introduced into the marine waters of British Columbia, and escaped their net holding pens. They are now naturally reproducing in many Pacific Coast stream systems, and seem to be greatly extending their range. Being of a different genus, interbreeding of Atlantic Salmon with Pacific Salmon is not a worry. There is, however, extreme concern that the Atlantic salmon may outcompete (displace) Pacific salmon in some streams. It is currently too early to tell whether the Atlantic Salmon will remain minor populations or will become major populations in some streams, but many States strongly encourage fishermen to keep any Atlantic Salmon they catch. Catch and release may be good practice in some situations, but killing Atlantic Salmon in Pacific watersheds may be the wiser practice until we know more about their potential impact.

Weights of over 100 pounds have been reported for the Atlantic salmon; and 40 to 50 pounders were common in Newfoundland during the early days of commercial codfishing. Large Atlantic Salmon are a rarity today, however. Ten to twelve pounders seem to be the norm now.

Steve Lumsden's Summer Chinook, Columbia River. The largest of the Pacific species is the Chinook or King Salmon. One weighing 126 pounds was caught with commercial gear in Alaskan waters. The largest recorded sports caught King is 97 pounds, 4 ounces. The Kenai River annually produces more trophy size King Salmon than any other fishery in the world.

Many salmon from North American rivers roam far at sea in the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Where they roam to is dependent upon the species and what river they come from. Many Steelhead trout from Washington and Oregon migrate to areas off the Alaskan Peninsula. Pinks, Chums, and Coho from central and southeast Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington State, migrate to the northeastern Pacific and Gulf of Alaska. Many Sockeye and Chinook salmon from northwest Alaska, for example, migrate across the Bering Sea to areas near Kamchatka, U.S.S.R., and south of the Aleutian Islands into the North Pacific Ocean. The Alaskan Sockeye also migrate eastward to the Gulf of Alaska.

These salmon are incredible travelers. It is not uncommon for Pacific salmon to migrate several thousand miles from the time they leave the rivers as smolts until they return as adults. Two specific examples serve as illustration: A Chinook salmon tagged in the central Aleutian Islands was recovered a year later in the Salmon River, Idaho. It had traveled about 3,500 miles since being tagged. A Steelhead trout tagged south of Kiska Island in the western Aleutians was caught about six months later in the Wynoochee River, Washington, about 2,200 miles away. These are not uncommon migrations at all.

The discussion of the incredible journeys these salmon and steelhead make, and the incredible stamina that they acquire, brings me to an interesting point of debate. Which is the better fighter, an anadromous (sea-run) salmon or a non-anadromous (resident) trout that seldom breaks a sweat? Specifically, does a 7-pound Sockeye (or Silver, King, Chum, or Steelhead) fight harder than a 7-pound resident Rainbow? I certainly think so. I would not take anything away from the beauty or excitement of catching a native, 7-pound Rainbow. What a glorious moment. But, given the same fishing equipment, its anadromous cousins will fight harder and longer, in my opinion. Trouble is, we usually fish for the salmon with far heavier tackle, which makes it seem as though they're not quite the fighters that the resident Rainbows are. But, this is just my opinion, not anything I have proven scientifically. Besides, if I were given the choice of catching a 7-pound resident Kenai Rainbow or a fresh 7-pound Silver, I'd pick the Rainbow every time--for its incredible beauty, and its relative rarity (7-pound Rainbows are far more rare than 7-pound Silvers).

Scott Shepard's fall Chinook, Columbia River. Marvin Fretwell's Tule Chinook, Columbia River.

Mark Mills' beautiful Silver; Buoy-10, Columbia River. Sidney White's Chinook, Ucluelet, B.C.

Now for some interesting summary data, in tablular format. Click here it see it.

If you are interesting in total Alaska salmon harvest data for all years of record, and in "salmon politics" more information is available. Click here it see it.