Species and Habitat Outlines

Pink Salmon
TAXONOMY

Phylum: Chordata
Class: Osteichthyes
Order: Salmoniformes
Family: Salmonidae

 

ECOLOGICAL DATA

Distribution: spawn in coastal streams and larger rivers; extensive feeding migration in Pacific Ocean.

Habitat: adults migrate up rivers to spawn in Sep and Oct; eggs laid in gravel redds and fry emerge from Mar to May and migrate directly to estuary; may remain in tidal channels of estuary for several days but school and rear in shallow (less than 1 m) nearshore water for 1-2 weeks (35-45 mm); rear in adjacent, deeper water as they grow; in July juveniles begin to migrate from inshore to ocean; make extensive ocean feeding migrations over 18 months; adults home to natal river to spawn at 2 yr, but may hold at mouth for several days or weeks before migrating upstream.

Tidal elevation: fry rear in shallow nearshore; larger juveniles and adults feed and migrate in deeper water.

Food: fry feed on epibenthos (i.e. harpacticoid copepods) in shallow water; juveniles prey on zooplankton (copepods, barnacle larvae, euphausiid eggs and amphipods) and terrestrial insects; smolts and adults eat euphausiids, amphipods, copepods, squid and small fish (e.g. herring, eulachon).

Predators: fishes, birds, marine mammals and bears.

GROWTH RATE

Rapid; fry 35 mm in May grow to 100 mm Jul in Georgia Strait; reach sexual maturity at 2 yr.

FISHERY

Important commercial species; support Native and minor sport fisheries; 1986 commercial catch was 29,264 t valued at $25.7 million.

REFERENCES

Godin, J.-G.J. 1981. Daily patterns of feeding behaviour, daily rations, and diets of juvenile pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) in two marine bays of British Columbia. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 38: 10-15.

Healey, M.C. 1967. Orientation of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) during early marine migration from Bella Coola River system. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 24: 2321-2338.

Healey, M.C. 1980. The ecology of juvenile salmon in Georgia Strait, British Columbia., p. 203-229. In W.J. McNeil and D.C. Himsworth [ed.] Salmonid ecosystems of the North Pacific. Ore. State Univ. Press, Corvallis.

Manzer, J.I. 1956. Distribution and movement of young Pacific salmon during early ocean residence. Fish. Res. Board Can. Pac. Progr. Rep. 106: 24-28.

Neave, F. 1966. Salmon of the north Pacific Ocean - Part III. A review of the life history of north Pacific salmon. 5. Pink salmon in British Columbia. Int. North Pac. Fish. Comm. Bull. 18: 71-79.

 

For more information on pink salmon habitat utilization and life cycle - click here

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