Coho Salmon

Body elongate, becoming deeper with age, spawning males a little hump-backed. Tip of upper jaw reaching well behind eye; snout and lower jaw becoming hooked and teeth enlarged in spawning males. Gillrakers 18-25. Piloric coeca 45-81. Dorsal finrays iii-iv + 8-10, and an adipose fin behind it; base below about middle of dorsal fin. Anal finrays iv-v + 12-14. Caudal fin emarginate. Scales moderate, 120-140 in lateral line. Vertebrae 61-69. Colour silvery, with black spots on upper flanks, base of dorsal fin and upper lobe of caudal fin in adults.

A Pacific fish (in rivers from Kamchatka, through Alaska to California. Incidental migrations to rivers of Shiribetsu and Yurapu of Hokkaido have been reported), introduced into northern rivers of France; in 1973 and 1974, 50,000 yearlings escaped into the Varenne (Normandy) from a fish farm, and 10,000 in 1975, with lesser numbers in southern France and southern Brittany in 1976-79; in 1975-77 up to 25 adults were caught in the Varenne, in rivers to the north, and around the Channel Is. Also introduced to the Great Lakes of America, Argentina, and Chile.

To about 88 cm and 14 kg; usually to around 3.6 kg at which weight it measures around 50-76 cm.

Anadromous, adults enter rivers from autumn to winter and spawn about 2,500 to 7,000 eggs in headwaters. Fry emerge from bottom gravel in spring, spending about one year in the river. Instead of territorial behavior in the parr, the smolt make schools and are carried out to sea. Young fish remain close to shore. Immature migrate more than 1600 km offshore.Main food items are insects in the river, small fishes such as sandlance and herring and many crustaceans near shore, and squids and krill in the open ocean.After 1 or 2 years of at sea, adults return to the river.

Caught by gillnets and trawl nets. The total catch reported for this species to FAO for 1999 was 15 466 t. The countries with the largest catches were USA (13 259 t) and Russian Federation (1 668 t). Marketed fresh, dried/salted, smoked, canned, cured, and frozen. Eaten steamed, fried, broiled, boiled, microwaved and baked.