When we first heard this word, we ask, what is chinook salmon? It turns out this is such a kind of fish. It is quite widespread. Belongs to the anadromous fish of the Salmonidae family. Still not very clear ?! Then we characterize it as the largest Pacific salmon. Its size on average reaches one meter, and in rare cases, there are fish and more - up to two meters. As a rule, it depends on the habitat. For example, American Chinook salmon generally grows to one and a half meters, while in the waters of Kamchatka its length varies within 1.8 meters.
Every real fisherman knows what chinook salmon is. After all, she is one of the few reaches a weight of sixty kilograms. There are cases when there are specimens and a little larger.
The Americans proudly call her the Native American name Chinook, or royal salmon, and our Japanese neighbors appropriated her the title of prince of salmon.
The environment in which she lives
Its main habitats are the Anadyr River, the Commander Islands, Kamchatka, the Amur and Hokkaido Rivers , as well as the region from Alaska to Southern California, the Aleutian Islands. Quite widespread in Canada. In this region, any local resident, not just fishermen, knows what chinook salmon is.
Appearance
On the back, dorsal and caudal fin there are small rounded black spots. The number of its gill rays is more than fifteen, which is how it differs from other salmonids. During spawning, the male becomes blacker, red spots appear on it. Their mating outfit is not as pronounced as, say, chum salmon or pink salmon. Not the largest individuals of Chinook salmon can easily be confused with coho salmon, but it has black lower gums, and dark spots are located not only on the back, they also cover the entire caudal fin.
Mating season
For spawning, it enters large rivers, can rise over them over great distances, sometimes they reach four thousand kilometers. Here's some hardy Chinook fish. Photos of this process can often be seen in various magazines. It spawns in the summer months, and in North America it can also do this in the fall and winter. This fish is so strong that it does not even have a very strong water current. With her tail she knocks holes for spawning in stones and cobblestones. Lays about fourteen thousand eggs, somewhat larger than chum. The fry remain for a long time in the river, sometimes this period reaches two years. Some males grow up to eighteen centimeters there, and these are three, in rare cases four years.
Many fishermen are very interested in what chinook pecks. It all depends on who you are going to catch. If young fish, then in nature they feed mainly on flying insects and their larvae, fry and small crustaceans. In the sea, where Chinook salmon is larger, squid and plankton are added to its diet. The diet is also often made up of fish that are smaller than her.
What is chinook salmon for Kamchatka residents?
First of all, it is a very valuable commercial fish. In addition to its large size, Chinook salmon is famous for its unusual taste. This is food and a source of income for people living in Kamchatka.