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Sockeye Salmon

Oncorhynchus nerka

Description:

Weight: average of 8 pounds (3.6 kg) Length: up to 3 feet (86 cm) Appearance: while spawning, they turn bright red with a green head; while in the ocean, they are bluish back with silver sides Lifespan: about 5 years Diet: in freshwater, they feed on aquatic insects and plankton; in the ocean, they eat "amphipods", "copepods", squid, and some fishes Behavior: migrate from a marine environment into freshwater streams and rivers or lakes of their birth in order to mate; they spawn only once and then die; females spawn in 3 to 5 "redds" (nests)

Habitat:

Sockeye spend approximately the first half of their life cycle rearing in lakes. The remainder of the life cycle is spent foraging in estuarine and marine waters of the Pacific Ocean. This one was spotted at Cedar River in Renton, WA.

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5 Comments

YukoChartraw
YukoChartraw 10 years ago

I agree alina! The sockeye salmon are very fascinating and seeing them swimming in the river in autumn is quite mesmerizing. It's like hundreds of red spots everywhere!

alina
alina 10 years ago

i love how sockeye salmon look -- it's like they're wearing a coat... ))
and yes, they are a very interesting fish.

YukoChartraw
YukoChartraw 11 years ago

Thank you for your comment Cindy! Yes they are such fascinating creatures. :-)

Such an amazing journey these fish have! Thank you for this spotting and including the video!

YukoChartraw
YukoChartraw 11 years ago

A video has been added!

YukoChartraw
Spotted by
YukoChartraw

Renton, Washington, USA

Spotted on Sep 27, 2012
Submitted on Sep 29, 2012

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