Catching Alaska Sockeye!
Fast Facts!
Size: Average 24 inches (Record 31")
Weight: Average 6lbs (Record 16lbs)
Lifespan: 3 - 7 years
Diet: Zooplankton, Crustaceans, Fish
* Most economically important Salmon
* 3rd most abundant Pacific Salmon
Range & Habitat
Range & Habitat
Fresh water lakes, streams and estuaries provide important habitat for spawning and rearing sockeye salmon. On the west coast of North America, sockeye salmon range from the Klamath River in Oregon to Point Hope in northwestern Alaska. On the east coast of Asia, Chinook salmon occur from the Anadyr River area of Siberia southward to Hokkaido, Japan.
The largest sockeye salmon populations are in the Kvichak, Naknek, Ugashik, Egegik, and Nushagak Rivers that flow into Alaska’s Bristol Bay, plus the Fraser River system in Canada. In good years, these runs can number in the tens of millions of fish.
from the taking of sockeye in Japanese high seas driftnet fisheries. Over a 20 year period, this fishery is estimated to have taken over 46 million North American sockeye. Additionally, the landlocked kokanee is a very important freshwater sport fish throughout the west coast.
References
"Fish Resources - Salmon/Steelhead" USDA Forest Service.
NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources.
Alaska Department of Fish & Game (adfg.state.ak.us).