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Sockeye salmon

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	Sockeye salmon
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	Topics Sockeye salmon Topic Home Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), also called red salmon or blueback salmon, is an anadromous speciesSpecies In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity.... of salmonSalmon Salmon is the common name for several species of fish of the family Salmonidae.... found in the Pacific OceanPacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the world's largest body of water. ... . The same species when it occurs in landlocked bodies of water is called the Kokanee. It is the third most common species of Pacific salmon, after PinkPink salmon The pink salmon or humpback salmon is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family.... and Chum salmonChum salmon Keta redirects here. Keta can also refer to a character from the Myst Franchise.... . The name "sockeye" is thought to have been a corruption of the various indigenous tribes' word "sukkai." Range Its current range is as far south as the Columbia RiverColumbia River The Columbia River is a river situated in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest of the United States.... in the eastern Pacific (though individuals have been spotted as far south as the 10 Mile River on the Mendocino Coast of California) and northern Hokkaido IslandHokkaido Hokkaido listen , formerly known as Ezo, is the second largest island and largest prefecture of Japan.... in JapanJapan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of China, Korea, and Russia, stretching from... in the western Pacific, and as far north as Bathurst InletBathurst Inlet Bathurst Inlet is a deep inlet located along the northern coast of the Canadian mainland, into which the Burnside and Wester... in the Canadian Arctic in the east and the Anadyr RiverAnadyr River Anadyr is a river in the extreme northeast of Siberia, Russia.... in SiberiaSiberia Siberia is a vast region of Russia constituting almost all of Northern Asia.... in the west. Landlocked populations occur in the YukonFacts About Yukon The Yukon Territory is one of Canada's northern territories, in the country's extreme northwest.... Territory and British ColumbiaBritish Columbia British Columbia, often referred to as B.C. or BC , is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for it... in CanadaCanada Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, occupying most of northern North America.... , and in AlaskaAlaska Summary Alaska is a U.S. state, located on the northwest tier of North America.... , WashingtonWashington Washington is a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.... , OregonOregon Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.... , CaliforniaCalifornia California is a state spanning the southern half of the west coast of the contiguous United States.... , UtahUtah Utah is a U.S. state located in the western United States.... , IdahoIdaho Summary Idaho is a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.... , MontanaMontana Montana is a state in the Pacific Northwest and Great Plains regions of the United States.... , ColoradoColorado Colorado is a state in the western United States.... ,New MexicoNew Mexico New Mexico is a southwestern state in the United States of America.... , and WyomingWyoming Wyoming is a state of the western United States.... in the United StatesUnited States Overview The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is... . Physical description A sockeye can be as long as 840 millimetres (33 in) and weigh 2.5 to 3.5 kilograms (6 to 8 lb). It has an elongated, torpedo shaped body, with an adipose fin, and a bluntly pointed snout. The gill rakers located just behind the head are long and closely spaced. Its colouration changes as it migrates from saltwater to freshwater in preparation for spawning. In freshwater, its colour is bright red with a pale green head; females may have green and yellow marks or stains. Its colour in saltwater is bluish-green on top, silvery on the bottom, with uniform, shiny skin. Reproduction Prior to spawning the sockeye are blue tinged with silver in color during their ocean life. The males develop a hump on their back and their jaw and teeth become hooked when they move from salt to fresh water. Males and females both turn red with green heads, and a dark stripe on their sides prior to spawning. Sockeye salmon spawn mostly in streams having lakeLake A lake is a body of water or other liquid of considerable size surrounded by land.... s in their watershed. The young fish, known as fry, spend from zero to three years in the freshwater lake before migrating to the ocean, some stay in the lake and do not migrate to the sea. The fish that migrate spend from one to four years in the salt water, and thus are four to six years old when they return to spawn in autumnAutumn Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition from summer into winter.... (September-December). Migration back to the home river is thought to be done using the characteristic smell of the stream, and possibly the sun. Some young fish spend as long as four years in fresh water lakes before migrating to the sea. In rivers without lakes, many of the young move to the ocean quite soon after hatching. These salmon mature after one to four years in the ocean. Some Sockeye Salmon live and reproduce in lakes and are called "kokanee." They are much smaller than the ones that go to the ocean and are rarely over 350 millimetres (14 in) long. In the Okanagan LakeOkanagan Lake Okanagan Lake is a large, deep lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia.... and possibly in other locations there are two populations of Kokanee. One spawns in streams and one spawns in the lake near the shore. Ecology/Behavior Sockeye Salmon, unlike the other species of Pacific Salmon, feed almost exclusively on planktonPlankton Plankton are drifting organisms that inhabit the water column of oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. ... . They are able to do this as a result of their many gillGill Summary In aquatic organisms, gills are respiration organs for the extraction of oxygen from water and the excretion of carbon dioxi... rakers, which strain the plankton from the water. It is speculated that this diet is the reason for the striking hue of their flesh, as well as their very low concentration of methyl mercury. They also tend to feed on small aquatic organisms such as shrimp. Sockeye salmon are currently listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act with the National Marine Fisheries ServiceNational Marine Fisheries Service The National Marine Fisheries Service is a part of the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOA... as an endangered species in Snake RiverSnake River The Snake River is a river in the western part of the United States.... (Idaho, Oregon and Washington area) and as a threatened species in Lake OzetteLake Ozette Summary Lake Ozette is the third largest natural lake in Washington state at 29.5 km², behind only Lake Chelan and Lake Washington.... , Washington. Other sockeye populations in the upper Columbia River and in Puget Sound (Washington) are not listed under the Endangered Species Act. Commerce This species is netted commercially using seines and gillnets for fresh or frozen fillet sales and canningCanning Canning is a method of preserving food by first heating it to a temperature that destroys contaminating microorganisms, and ... , especially in Bristol BayBristol Bay Summary Bristol Bay is the eastern-most arm of the Bering Sea, at 57 to 59 North 157 to 162 West.... , AlaskaAlaska Alaska is a U.S. state, located on the northwest tier of North America.... , site of the largest harvest of sockeye salmon in the world, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The species has been preferred for canning due to the rich orange-red color of the flesh. More than half of the sockeye salmon caught today are sold frozen. Sockeye also tends to fetch a higher price than other salmon when sold fresh, as they are considered the most flavorful and flexible of the family. When smoked, Sockeye has a stronger flavour and firmer texture than Coho salmonCoho salmon The Coho salmon is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family.... . Sockeye salmon is a popular sportfish for flyfishermen. It can be caught on a fly-rodFly fishing Fly fishing is a distinct and ancient angling method, most renowned as a method for catching trout and salmon, but employed... when it returns to freshwater to spawn and is an acrobatic and powerful fighter. Technical Reports / by Frederick W. West. Hosted by the . . ] Hosted by . External links , Alaska Red Salmon Fact Page