Salmon is used to refer to several species of fish in the Salmonidae family. The two main groups of salmon in North America are the Atlantic and the Pacific Salmon. The only salmon found in the Atlantic Ocean is the Atlantic Salmon and five in the Pacific Ocean: King (Chinook) salmon, Red (sockeye) salmon, Silver (coho) salmon, chum (keta) salmon and pink salmon.

Types of Salmon Species Found in North America

– The Chinook salmon is the state fish of Alaska and the largest of the salmon species. They can weigh as much as 125 pounds, but the average size is 10-15 pounds. They are mainly found in Alaska and down the West coast.
– Sockeye salmon are also known as “Reds”. They are the most colorful of the species and can survive in lakes and other freshwater. Their average size is 5-8 pounds.
– Coho salmon are also known as the “Silvers”. They are one of the most sought-after species. They can be found in Alaska and down the West coast. They average 6-12 pounds in size.
– Chum salmon can be found in Alaska and down the Northwest tip of the United States. They take up the broadest range of any other salmon and average 6-12 pounds.
– Pink salmon are also known as “Humpies”. They are most abundant, but smallest in size. The average size of Pink salmon is 3-5 pounds.

Salmon Facts

• When salmon are young, they eat plankton. As they get older, they will eat insects, small fish, small invertebrates and other sea organisms.
• Atlantic salmon is all farm raised. If you want wild salmon, you will need to purchase Pacific salmon.
• Salmons have orange flesh.
• Salmon are called “FRY” when they are emerging from their eggs.
• Salmon can average about 2500 eggs, but they can have as many as 7000
• Salmon is considered healthy as they are rich in essential vitamins and can decrease the risk of coronary disease and some cancers.

Salmon Life Cycle

Salmon are anadromous. This means they are born in fresh water, they migrate to salt water, and then return to freshwater to spawn. They return from the ocean to the same freshwater stream where they were spawned. Spawning is usually the last thing a salmon does before it dies and puts important nutrients back into the system. Salmon use a lot of energy to return to where they were born and can travel 3500 miles to spawn.

Grizzly Bear & Salon Relationship

Grizzly bears and coastal bears in Alaska benefit from salmon, who return from the Pacific Ocean where they feed and grow to maturity, in order to spawn and die in the streams where they were born. Spawning salmon gives bears an incredible food source and allows for the highest bear population and the largest bears in the world. Studies also show that the presence of bears is an important part of the health of a salmon stream. When bears catch a salmon, they will take it away to avoid having it stolen. They will only eat about a quarter of the fish, concentrating on the fatty brains, skin and eggs. The rest of the salmon will decompose in the soil and is then absorbed by trees and vegetation. Spruce trees on salmon rivers can be three times larger than streams without bears and 70% of the nitrogen in the forest comes from salmon carcasses that were brought to the shore by bears.

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