Chinook Salmon

Chinook Salmon is the largest of the Pacific salmon.

The fish can live from 3 to 7 years, averaging 4 years. The weight varies from 3 to 70 pounds (1.5 kg to 32 kg), though 100 pound (45 kg) fish are not unknown. It has "x" shaped dark spots on its back and tail, and black gums.

Chinook Salmon eat other smaller fish. Like all Pacific salmon, Chinook spawn, then die.

The flesh colour can be white, orange, pink or red, or several of these colours marbled. Just pink is very rare.

Chinook Salmon have been transplanted from the Pacific to the Great Lakes, such as Michigan, but because the salmon aren't finding the right breeding streams, they need to continually be restocked. In the Great Lakes, they rarely grow past 15 pounds (7 kg) in size.

Also called:

Chinook Salmon, Chum Salmon, Coho Salmon, Kokanee Salmon, Pink Salmon, Sockeye Salmon

Farmed Salmon, Gravlax, Lox, Smoked Salmon, Wild Salmon

Arctic Char, Trout

Anchovy, Fish, Perch, Poutine, White Fish