The smallest and most abundant Pacific salmon, with a strict two-year life cycle and a humped spawning male.
Where it lives
Pink salmon range across the North Pacific from California to Korea. They have a rigid two-year life cycle; this creates genetically isolated odd-year and even-year populations in each river. Juveniles head straight to sea after emerging from gravel — no freshwater rearing phase.
How to recognise it
Sea-phase fish are bright silver with very small scales and large oval black spots on the back and on both lobes of the tail. Spawning males develop a pronounced hump in front of the dorsal fin (hence “humpback”), a hooked jaw, and a dingy greenish coloration with brown blotches.
Diet & behavior
At sea, pinks feed almost exclusively on zooplankton, krill, and small fish. Returning fish enter rivers in late summer, spawn in lower-river gravels, and die. Eggs hatch in winter and fry migrate to sea almost immediately.
Fisheries & Conservation
Globally Least Concern and overwhelmingly the most numerous salmon species. They support the largest Pacific salmon fishery by volume, much of it canned.
Also on our other sites: pink salmon puns.