Alternate name: Humpback
Family: Salmonidae, Trouts view all from this family
Description To 30" (76 cm); 14 lb (6.3 kg). Elongate, moderately compressed. Back steel blue to blue-green, with large black spots; black spots on adipose and caudal fins. Breeding males pale red, with olive to brown blotches; head and back darker; hump on back; upper jaw hooked. Lateral line straight, complete, with 147–205 scales.
Habitat Coastal waters; enters streams to spawn.
Range Pacific Ocean from ne Asia, Siberia, and AK south to La Jolla, CA; coastal streams south to Sacramento River, CA. Introduced in NS, Labrador, Gulf of St. Lawrence, and upper Great Lakes.
Discussion Pink Salmon is the most abundant salmonid in the Pacific Ocean. The common name is derived from its pink flesh, compared to the deeper red of Sockeye (O. nerka) and other salmons. It is a less desirable food fish than other members of the family.
