Sockeye Salmon

Sockeye salmon are famous for one of the ocean's great transformations: silvery fish that turn brilliant red as they push back into the rivers where they were born, to spawn once and die.

Also known as: kokanee, kokanee salmon

Sockeye salmon can be confused with other Pacific salmon species, but a plain back and tail without spots, combined with the bright red body and green head it develops when spawning, sets it apart.

While living in the ocean, sockeye salmon are blue-tinged with silver. As they return to their spawning grounds, the body turns deep red and the head turns green. Unlike many other salmon, they do not carry spots on the tail or back.

Sockeye salmon live in the North Pacific Ocean and the rivers and lakes that drain into it, spending part of their life in freshwater lakes and part at sea before returning upriver to spawn.

Juveniles hatch in rivers near lakes and spend one to two years there before heading out to sea, where adults live for two to three years before returning to their home river to spawn. Like other Pacific salmon, they are semelparous, meaning they die after spawning just once. Some populations, called kokanee, never go to sea and spend their whole lives in freshwater lakes instead.

Sockeye salmon feed heavily on zooplankton, tiny drifting animals, throughout both their freshwater and ocean life stages, unlike other Pacific salmon species. Juveniles also eat small shrimp, insects, and occasionally snails.

Females dig nest pits called redds in river gravel and lay their eggs there, favouring shallow water. Males compete for access to females, with some larger males holding dominant positions and smaller ones sneaking in to spawn. At maturity, males change shape dramatically, developing a deeper body, a pronounced back hump, and a longer snout.

The species is assessed as being of least concern.

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