Description: Pink salmon are the smallest of the 5 Pacific
salmon species found locally. In length, they can reach up to 30
inches and usually weigh between 3 to 5 pounds. While at sea,
pink salmon are silvery on the sides and have blue backs with
large, oval-shaped spots on their backs and tails. After
returning to the freshwater to spawn, a pink stripe along the
lateral line can be found on both males and females. Males,
however, also develop a conspicuous hump on their backs, earning
this species its colloquial name: “humpy”. Range: In Asia from
North Korea to the Lena River on the East Siberian Sea; in North
America from the Sacramento River to the Mackenzie River on the
Beaufort Sea. Introduced to Chile, the Great Lakes,
Newfoundland, and rivers along the Black, Baltic, White and
Barents seas of northern Europe and northwestern Asia.
Abundance: Most abundant of the Pacific salmon. Life History:
Pink salmon are known for their rigid 2 year life cycle. They
move quickly out of the river shortly after emerg