Sockeye Salmon

Oncorhynchus nerka

Also Known As

Red salmon
Blueback salmon
Redfish
Spring-run salmon
Summer Sockeye

U.S. wild-caught sockeye salmon is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.

Spawning female (top) and male (bottom) sockeye salmon show extreme sexual dimorphism (males and females differ greatly in appearance), as shown by their color and the male’s hump.

A researcher removes scales from juvenile sockeye salmon.

Population

There are hundreds of sockeye salmon stocks in Alaska and seven Pacific stocks. Some stocks are above target population levels, while others are below.

Fishing Rate

Managers set fishing rates to avoid jeopardizing the survival and recovery of sockeye salmon stocks that are below their target levels.

Habitat Impacts

Fishing gear used to catch sockeye salmon rarely contacts the ocean floor and has little impact on habitat.

Bycatch

Regulations are in place to minimize bycatch.

Availability

Fresh summer and early fall. Frozen, canned, and smoked year-round.
Source

Alaska to Oregon.
Taste

Rich flavor, which is said to rival the flavor of Chinook (king) salmon.
Texture

Firm and fatty, making it rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Color

Reddest flesh of the wild salmon species. The raw meat has a bright-red or orange-red color. Cooked meat remains red.
Health Benefits

Sockeye salmon is low in sodium and is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.

The U.S. Fishery

Fishery Management

Alaska Department of Fish and Game, NOAA Fisheries, and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council manage sockeye salmon in Alaska.
Managed under the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Salmon Fisheries in the EEZ off the Coast of Alaska.
- All management of the salmon fisheries in federal waters is deferred to the State of Alaska and the Department of Fish and Game. This allows management to remain consistent throughout salmon’s range.
  - Managers regulate the fishery based on escapement goals to ensure harvests are sustainable. They want enough salmon to be able to escape the fishery and return to freshwater to spawn and replenish the population.
  - Salmon fishery management largely relies on in-season assessment of how many salmon return to freshwater to spawn.
  - Managers set harvest levels based on these returns. When abundance is high and the number of fish returning is much higher than that needed to meet escapement goals, harvest levels are set higher.
- During the season, scientists monitor catch and escapement, comparing current returns with those from previous years to keep an eye on abundance and actively manage the fishery.
Off the West Coast and in Alaska, the Pacific Salmon Treaty, the Pacific Salmon Commission, and the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission help coordinate management, research, and enhancement of shared U.S. and international salmon stocks, including sockeye.

Harvest

Commercial fishery:
- In 2013, commercial landings of sockeye salmon (including Alaska, Oregon, and Washington) totaled more than 178.7 million pounds, and were valued at $285.5 million. Nearly 178.6 million pounds came from Alaska, more than 155,000 pounds from Washington, and the remainder from Oregon.
- Sockeye salmon remain the preferred species for canning due to the rich orange-red color of their flesh.
- More than half of the U.S. sockeye salmon catch is sold fresh or frozen rather than canned.
Gear types, habitat impacts, and bycatch:
- Primarily harvested commercially in net fisheries, including gillnet purse seines and, more rarely, reef nets.
- Gillnetters catch salmon by setting curtain-like nets perpendicular to the sockeyes’ trajectory as they migrate along the coast toward freshwater. The mesh openings on the nets are just large enough to allow males (which are usually larger) to get stuck, or gilled, in the mesh.
- Purse seiners catch salmon by encircling them with a long net and drawing the bottom closed to capture the fish.
- Sockeye salmon are also caught in commercial troll fisheries for Chinook and coho salmon.
- Fishing gear used to catch Chinook salmon rarely contacts the ocean floor and has little impact on habitat.
- Bycatch is low and usually consists of other salmon species.
Recreational fishery:
- Sockeye salmon are a favorite catch of recreational fishermen.
- To ensure recreational fisheries are sustainable, West Coast anglers are only allowed to keep a certain amount of salmon per fishing trip.
- In Alaska, regulations vary by area and individual fishery.
- Recreational fisheries in high-use areas (Cook Inlet, Southeast Alaska, Copper River) are regulated through management plans that allocate fish between commercial and recreational fishermen.
Subsistence fishery:
- Salmon is an important source of spiritual and physical sustenance for Northwest and Alaskan Indian tribes, and salmon are culturally important to many other residents of these areas.
- Subsistence fishermen use a variety of fishing gear to harvest sockeye salmon.

The Science

Population Status

Alaska:
- As of 2013, there were hundreds of stocks of sockeye salmon in Alaska.
- Some stocks are in decline, while others are steady or increasing.
- None are listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
- Review of Salmon Escapement Goals in Southeast Alaska, 2014.
Pacific Northwest:
- Seven groups of sockeye salmon have been identified in the Pacific Northwest.
- One is listed as endangered and one is listed as threatened under the ESA.
- Review of 2014 Ocean Salmon Fisheries
Populations are affected by:
- Changes in ocean and climatic conditions.
- Habitat loss from dam construction and urban development.
- Degraded water quality from agricultural and logging practices.
Population conservation efforts include:
- Captive-rearing in hatcheries.
- Removal and modification of dams that obstruct salmon migration.
- Restoration of degraded habitat.
- Acquisition of key habitat.
- Improvements to water quality and instream flow.
The Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund supports the restoration of salmon species.

Location

Northwest Alaska to the Deschutes River in Oregon.

Habitat

Freshwater lakes, streams, estuaries, and associated wetlands provide vital nursery grounds for sockeye salmon.
Anadromous sockeye migrate from freshwater habitats to the ocean to further grow, feed, and mature.
Adult salmon leave the ocean, enter freshwater, and migrate thousands of miles upstream to spawn, usually in the stream of their birth.
Some sockeye salmon are not anadromous and spend their entire lives in freshwater.
In the Pacific Northwest, non-anadromous sockeye are known as "kokanee."

Physical Description

Sockeye is one of the smaller species of Pacific salmon, measuring 1.5 to 2.5 feet in length and weighing 4 to 15 pounds.
Kokanee (non-anadromous sockeye) rarely exceed 1.2 feet in length.
Sea-going sockeye salmon have iridescent silver flanks, a white belly, and a metallic green-blue top, giving them their "blueback" name.
Some fine black speckling may occur on the back, but the large spots typical of other Pacific salmon are absent.
As sockeye salmon return to their freshwater spawning grounds, their heads turn green and their bodies turn bright red, hence their other common name is “red” salmon.
Spawning males develop a humped back and hooked jaws filled with tiny, visible teeth.

Biology

Most sockeye salmon are anadromous—they hatch in freshwater streams and rivers and, after 1 to 3 years, they reach the smolt stage and migrate to the ocean to feed and grow.
They typically mature and return to freshwater after 2 to 3 years at sea, but some return earlier or stay at sea longer, between 4 and 5 years.
Sockeye salmon that return earlier are almost always males and are called "jacks."
They typically spawn in the summer or fall.
Females select spawning sites, dig nests (redds) with their tails, and deposit eggs (between 2,000 and 4,500) in the redds.
Males swim over the redds and fertilize the eggs.
Females cover their eggs with gravel using their tails.
The eggs hatch during the winter, and the newly hatched salmon (alevins) remain in the gravel, living off the material stored in their yolk sacs until early spring.
They then emerge as fry and spend 1 to 3 years in freshwater before reaching the smolt stage and migrating out to the ocean, usually in the spring.
All sockeye salmon die within a few weeks after spawning.
They sexually mature around the age of 5, which means their lifespan is about 5 years, although some live longer.
While in freshwater, juvenile sockeye salmon feed mainly on zooplankton (tiny floating animals), amphipods (small, shrimp-like crustaceans), and insects.
In the ocean, sockeye salmon continue to feed on zooplankton but also eat larval and small adult fishes and occasionally squid.
Fish (including other salmon) and birds feed on juvenile salmon.
Sharks, lampreys, and marine mammals prey on adult salmon in the ocean. Bears, eagles, and occasionally wolves feed on sockeye salmon in freshwater.

Research

NOAA's Alaska Fisheries Science Center Salmon Research

Last updated: 09/02/2016

Servings	1
Serving Weight	100 g (raw)
Calories	168
Protein	21.3 g
Fat, total	8.56 g
Saturated fatty acids, total	1.495 g
Carbohydrate	0 g
Sugars, total	0 g
Fiber, total dietary	0 g
Cholesterol	62 mg
Selenium	33.7 mcg
Sodium	47 mg

Sockeye Salmon

Oncorhynchus nerka

Also Known As

U.S. wild-caught sockeye salmon is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.

Population

Fishing Rate

Habitat Impacts

Bycatch

Availability

Source

Taste

Texture

Color

Health Benefits

Nutrition Facts

Recipes

Features