Salmon are an iconic fish species that hold cultural, economic, and ecological importance around the world. There are several different species of salmon, which are classified under the Salmonidae family. While there are minor variations between populations, salmon are generally categorized into 5 main types based on species: Chinook, Coho, Pink, Sockeye, and Chum.
Quick Answers
Yes, there are 5 main types of salmon:
- Chinook salmon
- Coho salmon
- Pink salmon
- Sockeye salmon
- Chum salmon
What are the 5 species of salmon?
The 5 main species of salmon are:
- Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) – Also known as king salmon, Chinook are the largest of the salmon species. They have a blue-green back and silver sides with small black spots. Chinook salmon average 10-15 pounds, but can reach up to 120 pounds. They have a diverse diet and are found throughout the North Pacific.
- Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) – Also known as silver salmon, Coho have a silver body with darker blue-green coloring along the back. They average 6-12 pounds and are smaller than Chinook. Coho salmon are present along both sides of the North Pacific Ocean.
- Pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) – The smallest of the Pacific salmon, pink salmon have a pronounced humpback and large oval-shaped black spots on their blue-green skin. They average just 3-6 pounds. Pink salmon have the widest natural distribution and can be found around the rim of the North Pacific.
- Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) – Also called red salmon due to their bright red bodies and green heads, Sockeye salmon average 4-8 pounds. During breeding seasons, males develop a distinct hooked jaw and humped back. Sockeye salmon travel thousands of miles upriver to spawn.
- Chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) – Known for their dog-like fangs, Chum salmon have a calico color pattern in hues of purple, green, red, and silver. They average 7-18 pounds. Chum are found around the North Pacific rim and have an extensive range extending thousands of miles.
Where are the 5 species found?
The 5 salmon species all originated from and are found in the North Pacific Ocean and its connecting watersheds. Here is an overview of where each of the main salmon species are found:
- Chinook salmon – Occur along the West Coast of North America from California to Alaska and along the Russian Far East and Japan.
- Coho salmon – Found from central California up to Alaska and across to Russia and northern Japan.
- Pink salmon – Ranging from Korea and China in Asia across to Russia, Alaska, and down the West Coast to California.
- Sockeye salmon – Occur from the Klamath River in California up along the Alaskan coast and across the Bering Sea to Russia.
- Chum salmon – Extend from central California across the North Pacific and Arctic Oceans to Korea and Japan.
While some species like pink and chum salmon have an extremely wide natural range, many salmon travel incredible distances during their lifetime to reach suitable spawning habitats. Salmon originating from the same regional watersheds are known as salmon runs.
What are the main differences between salmon species?
While salmon species share many common traits, each type has physical, behavioral, and habitat differences that set them apart:
Appearance
- Chinook – Largest in size, blue-green back with black spots
- Coho – Silver colored, with some green-blue shading
- Pink – Small size, large distinct oval black spots
- Sockeye – Bright red body, green head
- Chum – Calico pattern of purple, green, silver, red
Behavior
- Chinook – Open ocean migrators
- Coho – Tend to stay near coastal areas and mouths of rivers
- Pink – Extremely wide migrations across ocean basins
- Sockeye – Make extensive upstream river migrations
- Chum – Migrate long distances northwards along the ocean coasts
Spawning Habitat
- Chinook – Large gravel beds in main river channels
- Coho – Smaller tributaries and gravel beds
- Pink – Close to river mouths and intertidal areas
- Sockeye – Upstream gravel bars and riverbeds
- Chum – Coastal areas, beaches, and tributaries
These differences in appearance, behavior, and habitat preferences separate salmon species and populations uniquely adapted to their environments.
Why are there 5 types of salmon?
There are 5 main types of salmon due to:
- Separate evolution and speciation events – The 5 salmon species emerged from different ancestral lineages and genetic isolations over millions of years.
- Adaptations to diverse environments – Each salmon species has evolved distinct traits adapted to certain areas, climate, food sources, and spawning sites.
- Reproductive isolation – Salmon species do not interbreed, maintaining genetic distinctions between the groups.
- Complex migratory patterns – Homing instincts and navigational abilities keep separate salmon runs and subpopulations isolated.
- Specialized life histories – Species have adapted timing differences in when they migrate, spawn, hatch, and head out to sea.
Salmon diversity stems from this complex interplay of evolution, geographic isolation, unique life cycles, and precise homing migratory behaviors. The wide range of salmon allows them to fill diverse niches across the expansive habitats of the Pacific Rim.
How do salmon species differ in their life cycles?
While all salmon species share a basic anadromous life cycle, moving between fresh and saltwater, the timing and duration spent in each stage differs between the 5 types of salmon:
Chinook Salmon
- Spend 1-5 years maturing in freshwater before migrating out to sea
- Spend 1-4 years feeding and growing in the ocean
- Return in spring and summer to spawn in larger river mainstems
- Die after spawning
Coho Salmon
- Spend 12-18 months in streams and estuaries before going out to sea
- Migrate out to sea and feed for 1-3 years before returning to spawn
- Return to smaller streams and tributaries in fall and winter
- Also die after spawning
Pink Salmon
- Spend 3 months or less in freshwater after hatching before going to sea
- Migrate to sea and feed for 18 months before returning to spawn
- Return to coastal streams and intertidal areas in mid-late summer
- Die shortly after spawning
Sockeye Salmon
- Spend 1-3 years in freshwater lakes before migrating to the ocean
- Spend 1-4 years feeding in the ocean before returning to freshwater to spawn
- Make extensive upstream migrations to reach spawning areas
- Also die after spawning
Chum Salmon
- Spend a few months in freshwater right after hatching
- Migrate out to ocean feeding grounds for 3-5 years before returning to spawn
- Spawn in lower tributaries and intertidal zones in late fall
- Some populations spawn and die, others survive to spawn again
These adaptations in the salmon life cycle timing maximize survival and reproductive success for each species across their unique environments.
How does salmon habitat and diet vary?
Salmon species also differ in their preferred habitats, food sources, and environmental tolerances:
| Species | Freshwater Habitat | Ocean Habitat | Diet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinook | Large rivers and estuaries | Coastal and offshore waters | Herring, anchovies, shrimp, crabs, squid |
| Coho | Smaller streams and tributaries | Coastal waters and estuaries | Insects, amphipods, small fish |
| Pink | Nearshore creeks and rivers | Open ocean | Squid, jellyfish, crustaceans, fish |
| Sockeye | Lakes and upstream river sections | Open ocean | Copepods, squid, zooplankton, insects |
| Chum | River mouths and channels | Coastal ocean | insects, plankton, fish, squid |
These habitat preferences shape what food is available to each species during the freshwater and saltwater phases.
What threats do salmon face?
Salmon face a number of threats and declines across their native ranges:
Overfishing
– Commercial, recreational, and subsistence fishing remove millions of wild salmon from the populations each year. Overharvest can deplete specific runs.
Habitat loss
– Dams, water diversions, logging, agriculture, and urbanization have degraded, fragmented, and destroyed spawning and rearing habitat.
Hatcheries
– Mass hatchery production leads to weaker wild stocks through genetic risks, competition, and disease introduction.
Climate change
– Warming waters, declining snowpack, variable ocean conditions, and rising sea levels disrupt migration timing, prey availability, and suitable habitat.
Invasive species & diseases
– Nonnative species and new pathogens introduced through human activities spread disease and increase salmon mortality.
These combined threats have led to major declines for many salmon species and populations. Over 50% of historic wild salmon habitat in the Pacific Northwest has been blocked or degraded. Some runs have declined up to 90% compared to historic numbers. Multiple salmon species are listed as threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Conclusion
In summary, the 5 main types of salmon are Chinook, Coho, Pink, Sockeye, and Chum salmon species. These species emerge from separate evolutionary lineages and have distinct life histories, behaviors, and adaptations to their environments across the Pacific Rim. Salmon diversity allows them to take advantage of the array of river and ocean habitats around the North Pacific. However, salmon now face substantial population declines due to human impacts and require effective conservation efforts across their native ranges.
