Five colorfully pink Chinook Salmon swim upstream over pebbles and rocks to spawn in Alaska.
How many species of salmon are there and how large can they get?
There are seven species of Pacific salmon. Five of them occur in North American waters: chinook, coho, chum, sockeye, and pink. Masu and amago salmon occur only in Asia. There is one species of Atlantic salmon.
Chinook/King salmon are the largest salmon and get up to 58 inches (1.5 meters) long and 126 pounds (57.2 kg). Pink salmon are the smallest at up to 30 inches (0.8 meters) long and 12 pounds (5.4 kg), although they average 3 to 5 pounds (1.3-2.3 kg).
Note: Steelhead trout are often listed as an eighth Pacific salmon, but unlike other Pacific salmon, they are capable of repeat spawning and do not die after spawning. It has been suggested that they be grouped with other fish as 'Pacific Trout.'
Learn more: Western Fisheries Research Center - Questions and Answers about Salmon
Related
How do salmon know where their home is when they return from the ocean? How do salmon know where their home is when they return from the ocean?
Salmon come back to the stream where they were 'born' because they 'know' it is a good place to spawn; they won't waste time looking for a stream with good habitat and other salmon. Scientists believe that salmon navigate by using the earth’s magnetic field like a compass. When they find the river they came from, they start using smell to find their way back to their home stream. They build their...
How far do salmon travel? How far do salmon travel?
Salmon first travel from their home stream to the ocean, which can be a distance of hundreds of miles. Once they reach the ocean, they might travel an additional 1,000 miles to reach their feeding grounds. Learn more: Western Fisheries Research Center - Questions and Answers about Salmon
How long do salmon usually live? How long do salmon usually live?
Most salmon species live 2 to 7 years (4 to 5 average). Steelhead trout can live up to about 11 years. Learn more: Western Fisheries Research Center - Questions and Answers about Salmon
Why are there so few salmon left? Why are there so few salmon left?
There are many reasons for the decline in salmon populations. Logging an area around a stream reduces the shade and nutrients available to the stream and increases the amount of silt or dirt in the water, which can choke out developing eggs. Dams cause fish to die from the shock of going through the turbines and from predators that eat the disoriented fish as they emerge from the dam. Overfishing...
Why do salmon change color and die after they spawn? Why do salmon change color and die after they spawn?
Salmon change color to attract a spawning mate. Pacific salmon use all their energy for returning to their home stream, for making eggs, and digging the nest. Most of them stop eating when they return to freshwater and have no energy left for a return trip to the ocean after spawning. After they die, other animals eat them (but people don't) or they decompose, adding nutrients to the stream...
What is the largest freshwater fish? What is the largest freshwater fish?
Sturgeon are the largest of the freshwater fish. The beluga sturgeon in Russia is the largest freshwater fish in the world. The white sturgeon is the largest freshwater fish in North America. White sturgeon have been reported to reach lengths of 15-20 feet and weights of nearly one ton. The second largest freshwater fish in North America is the alligator gar.
usfws-chinook-salmon-alaska-hagerty.jpg
Five colorfully pink Chinook Salmon swim upstream over pebbles and rocks to spawn in Alaska.
PubTalk-10/2021: Zombie Salmon and Ghost Moose
Zombie Salmon and Ghost Moose - The Spooky Implications of Climate Change
By Laura Thompson & Abigail Lynch, USGS National Climate Adaptation Science Center
Zombie Salmon and Ghost Moose - The Spooky Implications of Climate Change
By Laura Thompson & Abigail Lynch, USGS National Climate Adaptation Science Center
Juvenile sockeye salmon, Alaska
Juvenile sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) captured in Lake Clark National Park as part of a study examining mercury in lake food webs.
Juvenile sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) captured in Lake Clark National Park as part of a study examining mercury in lake food webs.
Spawning Yukon River Chinook salmon
A spawning Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) captured near Pilot Station, Alaska, in June 2018 as part of an experimental temperature manipulation study to validate heat stress biomarkers.
A spawning Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) captured near Pilot Station, Alaska, in June 2018 as part of an experimental temperature manipulation study to validate heat stress biomarkers.
Chinook Salmon Released into Yukon River, AK
Chinook salmon released into Yukon River in Alaska, USA.
Chinook salmon released into Yukon River in Alaska, USA.
USGS Salmon Disease Research
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Western Fisheries Research Center in Seattle, Washington is a state-of-the-art laboratory operating on the cutting edge of fish science. Work at the lab falls into three broad categories, ecosystem studies, studies of invasive species, and studies of disease in fish.
By
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Western Fisheries Research Center in Seattle, Washington is a state-of-the-art laboratory operating on the cutting edge of fish science. Work at the lab falls into three broad categories, ecosystem studies, studies of invasive species, and studies of disease in fish.
By
Stocking young Atlantic salmon in St. Lawrence River system
Stocking young Atlantic salmon in St. Lawrence River systemThousands of young Atlantic salmon are released into the St. Regis River system (a tributary of the St. Lawrence River) in an effort to restore this diminished Lake Ontario fish population. The salmon were reared at the USGS Tunison Laboratory in Cortland, N.Y., and are released by USGS scientists and members of the Mohawk Tribe.
Stocking young Atlantic salmon in St. Lawrence River system
Stocking young Atlantic salmon in St. Lawrence River systemThousands of young Atlantic salmon are released into the St. Regis River system (a tributary of the St. Lawrence River) in an effort to restore this diminished Lake Ontario fish population. The salmon were reared at the USGS Tunison Laboratory in Cortland, N.Y., and are released by USGS scientists and members of the Mohawk Tribe.
Young Atlantic Salmon Reared at the USGS Tunison Lab in Cortland, N.Y.
Young Atlantic Salmon Reared at the USGS Tunison Lab in Cortland, N.Y.Thousands of young Atlantic salmon are being released into Salmon River in an effort to restore this diminished Lake Ontario fish population, extending the sport fishing season by at least two months in Oswego County, N.Y.
Young Atlantic Salmon Reared at the USGS Tunison Lab in Cortland, N.Y.
Young Atlantic Salmon Reared at the USGS Tunison Lab in Cortland, N.Y.Thousands of young Atlantic salmon are being released into Salmon River in an effort to restore this diminished Lake Ontario fish population, extending the sport fishing season by at least two months in Oswego County, N.Y.
Sockeye salmon spawning in the Grand Central River, Alaska
Sockeye salmon spawning in the Grand Central River, AlaskaSockeye salmon spawning in the Grand Central River, on the Seward Peninsula near Salmon Lake, Alaska.
Sockeye salmon spawning in the Grand Central River, Alaska
Sockeye salmon spawning in the Grand Central River, AlaskaSockeye salmon spawning in the Grand Central River, on the Seward Peninsula near Salmon Lake, Alaska.
Releasing a Radio-Tagged Adult Chinook
After gastric tagging the adult Chinook, it was released back into the Klickitat River.
After gastric tagging the adult Chinook, it was released back into the Klickitat River.
Related
How do salmon know where their home is when they return from the ocean? How do salmon know where their home is when they return from the ocean?
Salmon come back to the stream where they were 'born' because they 'know' it is a good place to spawn; they won't waste time looking for a stream with good habitat and other salmon. Scientists believe that salmon navigate by using the earth’s magnetic field like a compass. When they find the river they came from, they start using smell to find their way back to their home stream. They build their...
How far do salmon travel? How far do salmon travel?
Salmon first travel from their home stream to the ocean, which can be a distance of hundreds of miles. Once they reach the ocean, they might travel an additional 1,000 miles to reach their feeding grounds. Learn more: Western Fisheries Research Center - Questions and Answers about Salmon
How long do salmon usually live? How long do salmon usually live?
Most salmon species live 2 to 7 years (4 to 5 average). Steelhead trout can live up to about 11 years. Learn more: Western Fisheries Research Center - Questions and Answers about Salmon
Why are there so few salmon left? Why are there so few salmon left?
There are many reasons for the decline in salmon populations. Logging an area around a stream reduces the shade and nutrients available to the stream and increases the amount of silt or dirt in the water, which can choke out developing eggs. Dams cause fish to die from the shock of going through the turbines and from predators that eat the disoriented fish as they emerge from the dam. Overfishing...
Why do salmon change color and die after they spawn? Why do salmon change color and die after they spawn?
Salmon change color to attract a spawning mate. Pacific salmon use all their energy for returning to their home stream, for making eggs, and digging the nest. Most of them stop eating when they return to freshwater and have no energy left for a return trip to the ocean after spawning. After they die, other animals eat them (but people don't) or they decompose, adding nutrients to the stream...
What is the largest freshwater fish? What is the largest freshwater fish?
Sturgeon are the largest of the freshwater fish. The beluga sturgeon in Russia is the largest freshwater fish in the world. The white sturgeon is the largest freshwater fish in North America. White sturgeon have been reported to reach lengths of 15-20 feet and weights of nearly one ton. The second largest freshwater fish in North America is the alligator gar.
usfws-chinook-salmon-alaska-hagerty.jpg
Five colorfully pink Chinook Salmon swim upstream over pebbles and rocks to spawn in Alaska.
Five colorfully pink Chinook Salmon swim upstream over pebbles and rocks to spawn in Alaska.
PubTalk-10/2021: Zombie Salmon and Ghost Moose
Zombie Salmon and Ghost Moose - The Spooky Implications of Climate Change
By Laura Thompson & Abigail Lynch, USGS National Climate Adaptation Science Center
Zombie Salmon and Ghost Moose - The Spooky Implications of Climate Change
By Laura Thompson & Abigail Lynch, USGS National Climate Adaptation Science Center
Juvenile sockeye salmon, Alaska
Juvenile sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) captured in Lake Clark National Park as part of a study examining mercury in lake food webs.
Juvenile sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) captured in Lake Clark National Park as part of a study examining mercury in lake food webs.
Spawning Yukon River Chinook salmon
A spawning Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) captured near Pilot Station, Alaska, in June 2018 as part of an experimental temperature manipulation study to validate heat stress biomarkers.
A spawning Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) captured near Pilot Station, Alaska, in June 2018 as part of an experimental temperature manipulation study to validate heat stress biomarkers.
Chinook Salmon Released into Yukon River, AK
Chinook salmon released into Yukon River in Alaska, USA.
Chinook salmon released into Yukon River in Alaska, USA.
USGS Salmon Disease Research
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Western Fisheries Research Center in Seattle, Washington is a state-of-the-art laboratory operating on the cutting edge of fish science. Work at the lab falls into three broad categories, ecosystem studies, studies of invasive species, and studies of disease in fish.
By
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Western Fisheries Research Center in Seattle, Washington is a state-of-the-art laboratory operating on the cutting edge of fish science. Work at the lab falls into three broad categories, ecosystem studies, studies of invasive species, and studies of disease in fish.
By
Stocking young Atlantic salmon in St. Lawrence River system
Stocking young Atlantic salmon in St. Lawrence River systemThousands of young Atlantic salmon are released into the St. Regis River system (a tributary of the St. Lawrence River) in an effort to restore this diminished Lake Ontario fish population. The salmon were reared at the USGS Tunison Laboratory in Cortland, N.Y., and are released by USGS scientists and members of the Mohawk Tribe.
Stocking young Atlantic salmon in St. Lawrence River system
Stocking young Atlantic salmon in St. Lawrence River systemThousands of young Atlantic salmon are released into the St. Regis River system (a tributary of the St. Lawrence River) in an effort to restore this diminished Lake Ontario fish population. The salmon were reared at the USGS Tunison Laboratory in Cortland, N.Y., and are released by USGS scientists and members of the Mohawk Tribe.
Young Atlantic Salmon Reared at the USGS Tunison Lab in Cortland, N.Y.
Young Atlantic Salmon Reared at the USGS Tunison Lab in Cortland, N.Y.Thousands of young Atlantic salmon are being released into Salmon River in an effort to restore this diminished Lake Ontario fish population, extending the sport fishing season by at least two months in Oswego County, N.Y.
Young Atlantic Salmon Reared at the USGS Tunison Lab in Cortland, N.Y.
Young Atlantic Salmon Reared at the USGS Tunison Lab in Cortland, N.Y.Thousands of young Atlantic salmon are being released into Salmon River in an effort to restore this diminished Lake Ontario fish population, extending the sport fishing season by at least two months in Oswego County, N.Y.
Sockeye salmon spawning in the Grand Central River, Alaska
Sockeye salmon spawning in the Grand Central River, AlaskaSockeye salmon spawning in the Grand Central River, on the Seward Peninsula near Salmon Lake, Alaska.
Sockeye salmon spawning in the Grand Central River, Alaska
Sockeye salmon spawning in the Grand Central River, AlaskaSockeye salmon spawning in the Grand Central River, on the Seward Peninsula near Salmon Lake, Alaska.
Releasing a Radio-Tagged Adult Chinook
After gastric tagging the adult Chinook, it was released back into the Klickitat River.
After gastric tagging the adult Chinook, it was released back into the Klickitat River.
Updated Date: May 28, 2025