Bony fish · Salmoniformes · Salmonidae

Chinook Salmon

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

Not Evaluated

It has not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria. See full glossary

The chinook salmon, or king salmon, is a fish of the family Salmonidae found in the coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean, between California and Japan. A euryhaline animal, it lives in the sea but migrates up rivers to breed. It is highly prized for its relative scarcity.

Weight

33.8 kg on average

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Social structure

School

Gathers in coordinated schools, typical of fish.

Sighting difficulty

Unknown

FreshwaterCarnivore In schools Fish Freshwater

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Fun facts

It is the largest of the Pacific salmon, which is why it is called the king salmon.
The longest upstream journey ever documented in a salmon was made by a chinook: 3,845 km to its spawning grounds.
It was introduced into Lake Michigan so successfully that it created a new sport fishery there after lake trout collapsed under sea lamprey predation.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bony fish)
Habitat & environment: Cold, fast rivers with coarse gravel for spawning, estuaries as a transit zone and the open sea for adult life; at sea, between 0 and 375 m, at 0-25 °C
Sexual maturity: 4 years

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oncorhynchus_tshawytscha