Salmon Species

The various Salmon species have many names.

Atlantic Ocean species

Atlantic Salmon or Salmon (Salmo salar), is the species after which all the others are named.

Land-locked Salmon (Salmo salar sebago) live in a number of lakes in eastern North America. This subspecies is non-migratory, even when access to the sea is not barred.

Another Atlantic species, Salmo trutta, is usually classified as a trout, despite being a closer relative of Atlantic Salmon than any of the Pacific species of salmon.

Pacific Salmon Species

Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) is known locally as "Red Salmon" or Blueback Salmon." This species is found south as far as California in the eastern Pacific and Japan in the western Pacific and as far north as the Canadian Arctic in the east and the Anadyr River in Siberia in the west.

Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) is also known locally as King, Tyee, Spring Salmon, Quinnat, Tule, or Blackmouth salmon.

Pink Salmon or Humpback salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) is found from northern California and Korea, throughout the northern Pacific, and from the Mackenzie River in Canada to the Lena River in Siberia.

Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) is known locally as Dog or Calico salmon. This species has a wide geographic range: south to the Sacramento River in California in the eastern Pacific and the island of Kyushu in the Sea of Japan in the western Pacific; north to the Mackenzie River in Canada in the east and to the Lena River in Siberia in the west.

Coho Salmon or Silver Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) is found throughout the coastal waters of Alaska and up most clear-running streams and rivers.

Cherry Salmon (Oncorhynchus masu or O. masou) is found only in the western Pacific Ocean in Japan, Korea and Russia.