Ontario-Great Lakes Area Fact Sheets

Pink Salmon

General Description

The pink salmon is a Pacific salmon and is the smallest of the true salmon. It has the following characteristics:

• a fusiform, streamlined, slightly laterally compressed body;
• the snout becomes extended, narrow, and turned down at the tip in breeding males;
• the mouth is greatly deformed in breeding males, with the lower jaw enlarged and turned up at the tip so that the mouth is unable to close;
• a large hump develops before the dorsal fin in breeding males;
• the body colour of marine adults is steel blue to blue-green on the back, silver on the sides, white on the under side, and large oval, black spots are present on the back, adipose fin and both lobes of the caudal fin;
• breeding males become darker on the head and back with red to brownish-green blotches on the sides; and
• the colour and pattern of breeding females and permanent freshwater populations are similar but less distinct.

Distribution

As marine adults, pink salmon occur in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. In Canada, the young and spawning adults As marine adults, pink salmon occur in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. In Canada, the young and spawning adults are found in most tributary rivers on the west coast of British Columbia, the Yukon and the delta of the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories. In the Great Lakes, pink salmon occur in Lake Erie to eastern Lake Ontario and appear to be still reproducing in Lakes Huron and Superior, where they were introduced in the 1950s.

Habitat and Life History

The main habitat of young and adult pink salmon is the marine environment. Two-year-old adults migrate from the sea to the freshwater rivers to spawn, after spending about 18 months in the sea. They usually move about 64 km (40 miles) upstream but may move as much as 480 km (300 miles) in larger rivers or, as in some cases, they may spawn in the lower tidal areas. Spawning takes place from mid-summer to fall and most of the adults return (home) to the river, and usually to the tributary in which they hatched. The female prepares the nest (redd) in medium-sized gravel by lying on her side and beating vigorously with her tail to remove silt and light gravel down to a firm gravel bed. The redd is a deep trough with a raised rim of gravel at the downstream edge and may be 90 cm (3 feet) long and 45 cm (1 1/2 feet) wide in 30 - 60 cm (1 - 2 feet) of water. During spawning, the eggs fall into spaces between the gravel and immediately the female begins digging at the upstream edge of the nest covering the eggs with the displaced gravel. The female usually guards the nest, but the spawning adults die in a few days or weeks. The eggs hatch in approximately 8 - 12 weeks, depending on the water temperature. After emerging from the gravel in late spring, the fry commence their journey to the sea, often covering 16 km (10 miles) in a single night. Young pink salmon may stay in inshore waters for several months before moving to the open sea.

Food Habits

In the sea, young pink salmon feed on small crustaceans and plankton, shifting their diet to include shrimp-like crustaceans and fishes as they grow. Other foods include mussel shrimps, crayfish larvae, barnacles, tunicates and insects.

Economic Importance

The pink salmon was not considered as a commercial catch until World War I, since which time it has formed an increasing part of the total annual catch in Canada. Also since then, the pink salmon has increasingly gained popularity as a sport fish. The pink salmon is an excellent food fish, which is mostly sold canned. It is also valued for caviar, especially in Japan.

Fishing Facts

The pink salmon hybridizes in nature with the chum salmon.

Further Information

For further information, please contact your local DFO office: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/oceans-habitat/habitat/aboutus-apropos/regions/arctic-arctique_e.asp?#1