A deep-red-fleshed Pacific salmon famous for the spectacular spawning runs that turn river systems crimson.
Where it lives
Sockeye spend two to four years feeding in the open North Pacific, then return to spawn in river systems that contain lakes — a near-universal requirement, since juveniles rear in lakes before going to sea. They range from California north through Alaska to Kamchatka and Hokkaido.
How to recognise it
Sea-phase fish are bright silver with a steel-blue back. Spawning adults transform: bodies turn brilliant red, heads green, and males develop a humped back and hooked snout known as a kype. Sockeye have fine gill rakers — far more than other Pacific salmon — adapted to filtering zooplankton.
Diet & behavior
At sea, sockeye gorge on zooplankton, capelin, and squid. In freshwater spawning lakes, juveniles feed for one to two years before smolting. Spawning adults stop feeding entirely and die after spawning, as do all Pacific salmon.
Fisheries & Conservation
Globally Least Concern. The Bristol Bay sockeye fishery is the largest sockeye run on Earth. Some Pacific Northwest stocks are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.