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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: Questions and Answers about Salmon 

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Kasilof coho salmon with radio tag antenna in it's mouth

Are salmon endangered worldwide?

No, salmon are not endangered worldwide. For example, most populations in Alaska are healthy. Some populations in the Pacific Northwest are much healthier than others. These healthy populations usually occupy protected habitats such as the Hanford Reach on the Columbia River and streams of Olympic National Park.Learn more: Questions and Answers about Salmon

link

Are salmon endangered worldwide?

No, salmon are not endangered worldwide. For example, most populations in Alaska are healthy. Some populations in the Pacific Northwest are much healthier than others. These healthy populations usually occupy protected habitats such as the Hanford Reach on the Columbia River and streams of Olympic National Park.Learn more: Questions and Answers about Salmon

Learn More
link
Chinook Salmon

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...

link

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...

Learn More
link
Animated image of a Sockeye Salmon swimming

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: Questions and Answers about Salmon

link

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: Questions and Answers about Salmon

Learn More
link
Brown bears (Ursus arctos) and Chum (Salmon Oncorhynchus)

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: Questions and Answers about Salmon

link

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: Questions and Answers about Salmon

Learn More
link
Sockeye Salmon

When can salmon be seen migrating to their spawning area?

Most Pacific salmon can be seen migrating from spring though fall, depending on the species. Most adult Atlantic salmon migrate up the rivers of New England beginning in spring and continuing through the fall as well, with the migration peaking in June. Learn more: Questions and Answers about Salmon

link

When can salmon be seen migrating to their spawning area?

Most Pacific salmon can be seen migrating from spring though fall, depending on the species. Most adult Atlantic salmon migrate up the rivers of New England beginning in spring and continuing through the fall as well, with the migration peaking in June. Learn more: Questions and Answers about Salmon

Learn More
link
Image: Salmon Are Carefully Released Using Buckets

Where are salmon most endangered?

Certain populations of sockeye salmon, coho salmon, chinook salmon, and Atlantic salmon are listed as endangered. Sockeye salmon from the Snake River system are probably the most endangered salmon. Coho salmon in the lower Columbia River may already be extinct. Salmon are not endangered worldwide. For example, most populations in Alaska are healthy. Some populations in the Pacific Northwest are...

link

Where are salmon most endangered?

Certain populations of sockeye salmon, coho salmon, chinook salmon, and Atlantic salmon are listed as endangered. Sockeye salmon from the Snake River system are probably the most endangered salmon. Coho salmon in the lower Columbia River may already be extinct. Salmon are not endangered worldwide. For example, most populations in Alaska are healthy. Some populations in the Pacific Northwest are...

Learn More
link
Male atlantic salmon showing a kype in lower jaw

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...

link

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...

Learn More
link
Alaskan sockeye salmon. Courtesy, BLM

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...

link

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...

Learn More
link
Looking down into a clear plastic beaker containing several hundred small, round, bright orange eggs

Why do salmon eggs come in different colors?

Salmon eggs (roe) range in color from pale yellowish-orange to dark reddish-orange. The color varies both by species and within species and is determined by water temperature, sediment composition, age, and other factors. The eggs vary in size from the tiny sockeye roe (average ¼ inch or 5.6 mm) to the large chum roe (average almost ½ inch or 8.3 mm). Also, if a salmon egg does not get fertilized...

link

Why do salmon eggs come in different colors?

Salmon eggs (roe) range in color from pale yellowish-orange to dark reddish-orange. The color varies both by species and within species and is determined by water temperature, sediment composition, age, and other factors. The eggs vary in size from the tiny sockeye roe (average ¼ inch or 5.6 mm) to the large chum roe (average almost ½ inch or 8.3 mm). Also, if a salmon egg does not get fertilized...

Learn More
link
Lake Whitefish

Where can I find fish consumption advisories for my state?

Most states have set fish (and wildlife) consumption advisories and recommended consumption levels. The state agency responsible for these limits varies. Examples of consumption advisory information can be found at the Environmental Protection Agency's Consumption Advisories website.

link

Where can I find fish consumption advisories for my state?

Most states have set fish (and wildlife) consumption advisories and recommended consumption levels. The state agency responsible for these limits varies. Examples of consumption advisory information can be found at the Environmental Protection Agency's Consumption Advisories website.

Learn More
link
Weighing sturgeon prior to tagging

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.

link

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.

Learn More
Brown bears (Ursus arctos) and Chum (Salmon Oncorhynchus)
link
Chinook Salmon Released into Yukon River, AK
link
Kasilof coho salmon with radio tag antenna in it's mouth
link
Canada lynx
link
Acoustic-tagged juvenile Chinook salmon being released.
link
Sockeye Salmon swimming in a river
link
Releasing radio tagged steelhead
link
Alaskan sockeye salmon. Courtesy, BLM
link
Image: Releasing a Radio-Tagged Adult Chinook
link

Seventy-five years of science—The U.S. Geological Survey’s Western Fisheries Research Center

As of January 2010, 75 years have elapsed since Dr. Frederic Fish initiated the pioneering research program that would evolve into today’s Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC). Fish began his research working alone in the basement of the recently opened Fisheries Biological Laboratory on Lake Union in Seattle, Washington. WFRC’s research began under the aegis of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv
By
Ecosystems, Fish & Wildlife Disease, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL), Fish Health Program (FHP), Klamath Falls Field Station (KFFS), Marrowstone Marine Field Station (MMFS)

Elwha River dam removal-Rebirth of a river

After years of planning for the largest project of its kind, the Department of the Interior will begin removal of two dams on the Elwha River, Washington, in September 2011. For nearly 100 years, the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams have disrupted natural processes, trapping sediment in the reservoirs and blocking fish migrations, which changed the ecology of the river downstream of the dams. All five
By
Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Impacts of Low-Flow and Stream-Temperature Changes on Endangered Atlantic Salmon - Current Research

Recent climate studies in New England and the northeastern United States have shown evidence of physical changes over time, including trends toward earlier snowmelt runoff, decreasing river ice, and increasing spring water temperatures. A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study funded by the National Global Warming and Wildlife Science Center will be investigating changes in summer low streamflows and
By
Water Resources, New England Water Science Center
link

Water managers explore new strategies to protect fish in California’s Bay Delta

The water in the Delta arrives primarily from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, supplying water for more than 22 million people. This water...

Read Article
link

In Hot Water: Climate Change is Affecting North American Fish

Climate change is already affecting inland fish across North America -- including some fish that are popular with anglers. Scientists are seeing a...

Read Article
link

Community flood protection may also help endangered salmon to thrive

Building a river setback levee to reduce the risk of flood for a community may also help endangered fish species to thrive, according to the results...

Read Article
link

Endangered Salmon Population Monitored with eDNA for First Time

CORVALLIS, Ore. — Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and Washington State University have discovered that endangered Chinook salmon can be...
Read Article

Related Content

  • FAQ
    link
    Kasilof coho salmon with radio tag antenna in it's mouth

    Are salmon endangered worldwide?

    No, salmon are not endangered worldwide. For example, most populations in Alaska are healthy. Some populations in the Pacific Northwest are much healthier than others. These healthy populations usually occupy protected habitats such as the Hanford Reach on the Columbia River and streams of Olympic National Park.Learn more: Questions and Answers about Salmon

    link

    Are salmon endangered worldwide?

    No, salmon are not endangered worldwide. For example, most populations in Alaska are healthy. Some populations in the Pacific Northwest are much healthier than others. These healthy populations usually occupy protected habitats such as the Hanford Reach on the Columbia River and streams of Olympic National Park.Learn more: Questions and Answers about Salmon

    Learn More
    link
    Chinook Salmon

    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...

    link

    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...

    Learn More
    link
    Animated image of a Sockeye Salmon swimming

    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: Questions and Answers about Salmon

    link

    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: Questions and Answers about Salmon

    Learn More
    link
    Brown bears (Ursus arctos) and Chum (Salmon Oncorhynchus)

    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: Questions and Answers about Salmon

    link

    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: Questions and Answers about Salmon

    Learn More
    link
    Sockeye Salmon

    When can salmon be seen migrating to their spawning area?

    Most Pacific salmon can be seen migrating from spring though fall, depending on the species. Most adult Atlantic salmon migrate up the rivers of New England beginning in spring and continuing through the fall as well, with the migration peaking in June. Learn more: Questions and Answers about Salmon

    link

    When can salmon be seen migrating to their spawning area?

    Most Pacific salmon can be seen migrating from spring though fall, depending on the species. Most adult Atlantic salmon migrate up the rivers of New England beginning in spring and continuing through the fall as well, with the migration peaking in June. Learn more: Questions and Answers about Salmon

    Learn More
    link
    Image: Salmon Are Carefully Released Using Buckets

    Where are salmon most endangered?

    Certain populations of sockeye salmon, coho salmon, chinook salmon, and Atlantic salmon are listed as endangered. Sockeye salmon from the Snake River system are probably the most endangered salmon. Coho salmon in the lower Columbia River may already be extinct. Salmon are not endangered worldwide. For example, most populations in Alaska are healthy. Some populations in the Pacific Northwest are...

    link

    Where are salmon most endangered?

    Certain populations of sockeye salmon, coho salmon, chinook salmon, and Atlantic salmon are listed as endangered. Sockeye salmon from the Snake River system are probably the most endangered salmon. Coho salmon in the lower Columbia River may already be extinct. Salmon are not endangered worldwide. For example, most populations in Alaska are healthy. Some populations in the Pacific Northwest are...

    Learn More
    link
    Male atlantic salmon showing a kype in lower jaw

    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...

    link

    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...

    Learn More
    link
    Alaskan sockeye salmon. Courtesy, BLM

    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...

    link

    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...

    Learn More
    link
    Looking down into a clear plastic beaker containing several hundred small, round, bright orange eggs

    Why do salmon eggs come in different colors?

    Salmon eggs (roe) range in color from pale yellowish-orange to dark reddish-orange. The color varies both by species and within species and is determined by water temperature, sediment composition, age, and other factors. The eggs vary in size from the tiny sockeye roe (average ¼ inch or 5.6 mm) to the large chum roe (average almost ½ inch or 8.3 mm). Also, if a salmon egg does not get fertilized...

    link

    Why do salmon eggs come in different colors?

    Salmon eggs (roe) range in color from pale yellowish-orange to dark reddish-orange. The color varies both by species and within species and is determined by water temperature, sediment composition, age, and other factors. The eggs vary in size from the tiny sockeye roe (average ¼ inch or 5.6 mm) to the large chum roe (average almost ½ inch or 8.3 mm). Also, if a salmon egg does not get fertilized...

    Learn More
    link
    Lake Whitefish

    Where can I find fish consumption advisories for my state?

    Most states have set fish (and wildlife) consumption advisories and recommended consumption levels. The state agency responsible for these limits varies. Examples of consumption advisory information can be found at the Environmental Protection Agency's Consumption Advisories website.

    link

    Where can I find fish consumption advisories for my state?

    Most states have set fish (and wildlife) consumption advisories and recommended consumption levels. The state agency responsible for these limits varies. Examples of consumption advisory information can be found at the Environmental Protection Agency's Consumption Advisories website.

    Learn More
    link
    Weighing sturgeon prior to tagging

    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.

    link

    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.

    Learn More
  • Multimedia
    Brown bears (Ursus arctos) and Chum (Salmon Oncorhynchus)
    link
    Chinook Salmon Released into Yukon River, AK
    link
    Kasilof coho salmon with radio tag antenna in it's mouth
    link
    Canada lynx
    link
    Acoustic-tagged juvenile Chinook salmon being released.
    link
    Sockeye Salmon swimming in a river
    link
    Releasing radio tagged steelhead
    link
    Alaskan sockeye salmon. Courtesy, BLM
    link
    Image: Releasing a Radio-Tagged Adult Chinook
    link
  • Publications

    Seventy-five years of science—The U.S. Geological Survey’s Western Fisheries Research Center

    As of January 2010, 75 years have elapsed since Dr. Frederic Fish initiated the pioneering research program that would evolve into today’s Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC). Fish began his research working alone in the basement of the recently opened Fisheries Biological Laboratory on Lake Union in Seattle, Washington. WFRC’s research began under the aegis of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv
    By
    Ecosystems, Fish & Wildlife Disease, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL), Fish Health Program (FHP), Klamath Falls Field Station (KFFS), Marrowstone Marine Field Station (MMFS)

    Elwha River dam removal-Rebirth of a river

    After years of planning for the largest project of its kind, the Department of the Interior will begin removal of two dams on the Elwha River, Washington, in September 2011. For nearly 100 years, the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams have disrupted natural processes, trapping sediment in the reservoirs and blocking fish migrations, which changed the ecology of the river downstream of the dams. All five
    By
    Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

    Impacts of Low-Flow and Stream-Temperature Changes on Endangered Atlantic Salmon - Current Research

    Recent climate studies in New England and the northeastern United States have shown evidence of physical changes over time, including trends toward earlier snowmelt runoff, decreasing river ice, and increasing spring water temperatures. A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study funded by the National Global Warming and Wildlife Science Center will be investigating changes in summer low streamflows and
    By
    Water Resources, New England Water Science Center
  • News
    link

    Water managers explore new strategies to protect fish in California’s Bay Delta

    The water in the Delta arrives primarily from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, supplying water for more than 22 million people. This water...

    Read Article
    link

    In Hot Water: Climate Change is Affecting North American Fish

    Climate change is already affecting inland fish across North America -- including some fish that are popular with anglers. Scientists are seeing a...

    Read Article
    link

    Community flood protection may also help endangered salmon to thrive

    Building a river setback levee to reduce the risk of flood for a community may also help endangered fish species to thrive, according to the results...

    Read Article
    link

    Endangered Salmon Population Monitored with eDNA for First Time

    CORVALLIS, Ore. — Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and Washington State University have discovered that endangered Chinook salmon can be...
    Read Article