📷 (c) Daniel Walchak, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) · CC BY NC
📷 (c) ayumu_k, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
📷 (c) Liam Ragan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
IUCN: Least Concern
Sockeye Salmon
Oncorhynchus nerka
KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassActinopterygii›OrderSalmoniformes›FamilySalmonidae›GenusOncorhynchus
About
Sockeye salmon hatch in freshwater, grow in lakes or rivers, migrate to the ocean, and return inland to spawn. Spawning adults turn bright red with green heads, delivering marine nutrients to bears, eagles, forests, and streams. Dams, warming water, habitat loss, and overharvest can affect individual runs.
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Cold Pacific Ocean waters, lakes, and gravel-bottomed spawning streams
🍃Diet Zooplankton, aquatic insects, small fish, squid, and crustaceans
📏Size & Weight Body 45–84 cm
•weight 2–7 kg
⏳Lifespan 4–6 years
🗺Range North Pacific basin from Japan and Russia to Alaska and western North America
Fish
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Cold Pacific Ocean waters, lakes, and gravel-bottomed spawning streams
🍃Diet Zooplankton, aquatic insects, small fish, squid, and crustaceans
📏Size & Weight Body 45–84 cm
•weight 2–7 kg
⏳Lifespan 4–6 years
🗺Range North Pacific basin from Japan and Russia to Alaska and western North America
Photo Credits
#1(c) Daniel Walchak, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) · CC BY NC
#2(c) ayumu_k, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) · CC BY NC
#3(c) Liam Ragan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) · CC BY NC
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