Species profiles: Life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (Pacific Northwest): Pink salmon
Species profiles are literature summaries of the taxonomy, morphology, range, life history, and environmental requirements of coastal aquatic species. They are designed to assist in environmental impact assessment. The pink salmon, often called humpback salmon or humpy, is easily identified by its extremely small scales (150 to 205) on the lateral line. They are the most abundant of the Pacific salmon species and spawn in North American and Asian streams bordering the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. They have a very simple two-year life cycle, which is so invariable that fish running in odd-numbered years are isolated from fish running in even-numbered years so that no gene flow occurs between them. Adults spawn in the fall and the young fry emerge in the spring. The pink salmon is less desirable in commercial and sport catches than most other salmon because of its small size and its soft pale flesh. The Puget Sound region of Washington State is the southern geographic limit of streams supporting major pink salmon runs in the eastern North Pacific. Pink salmon runs are presently only in odd-numbered years in this region. Optimum water temperatures for spawning range from 7.2 to 12.8/degree/C. Productive pink salmon streams have less than 5.0% by volume of fine sediments (less than or equal to0.8 mm). 87 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.
- Research Organization:
- Washington Univ., Seattle (USA). Cooperative Fishery Research Unit
- OSTI ID:
- 6500597
- Report Number(s):
- TR-EL-82-4/82(11.88); ON: TI89008011
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Species profiles: life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (Pacific Southwest). Chinook salmon. [Oncorhynchus tshawytscha]
Species profiles: Life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (Pacific Southwest): Coho salmon. [Oncorhynchus kisutch]
Related Subjects
BASELINE ECOLOGY
EVALUATION
SALMON
LIFE CYCLE
ANIMAL BREEDING
ANIMAL GROWTH
ESTUARIES
FEEDING
FISHERIES
JUVENILES
MIGRATION
PACIFIC OCEAN
PREDATOR-PREY INTERACTIONS
SALINITY
SEDIMENTS
SEX DEPENDENCE
TAXONOMY
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
ANADROMOUS FISHES
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BIOLOGY
ECOLOGY
FISHES
GROWTH
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
VERTEBRATES
520100* - Environment
Aquatic- Basic Studies- (-1989)