Pacific Salmon
Facts
-
Habitats
Lakes & Rivers, Oceans
Five species of Pacific salmon thrive in the North Pacific waters of the US and Canada: chinook (also called king), coho, pink, sockeye, and chum salmon. They begin their lives in freshwater streams, lakes, and rivers and migrate to the sea as small fish called smolts. After they transition from fresh to salt water and grow into adults in the high seas of the North Pacific Ocean, a biological clock tells the salmon when it's time to return to the place of their birth to spawn a new generation. For the indigenous people of the Pacific Rim, salmon are a primary source of protein and also a part of their culture. Native groups celebrate the first return of salmon and individuals catch and store salmon for their families to eat all winter.
Salmon play a major role in many economies. The North Pacific provides the primary source of wild salmon that are harvested commercially and eaten in homes and restaurants all over the world. The Alaska salmon fishery, responsible for around 90% of wild caught salmon in North America, is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.
- Places
- Habitats
Why we must help Bristol Bay now
Bristol Bay, Alaska is one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world and the source of the world's largest wild salmon fishery. Yet its future is in jeopardy from the proposal for Pebble Mine. Now the US Army Corps of Engineers is attempting to fast track the mine's permit application and we must take action now.

Why They Matter
Threats

Threats to wild Pacific salmon include illegal harvest (poaching), habitat destruction from development and mining activities, dams and other blockages in rivers, unregulated overharvesting, and a rapidly changing climate.
What WWF Is Doing

Commercial setnetters pick sockeye salmon from their setnets at Ekuk in the Nushagak district in Bristol Bay, Alaska.
WWF advocates for oil spill prevention, spill response, and shipping safety measures as a precondition for offshore oil development. WWF promotes the concept of sustainable seafood to fisheries, retailers, and consumers and rewards sustainable fishing practices. We combat illegal fishing, promote well-managed fisheries, and argue for more effective control of farmed salmon. We are working to protect key spawning areas by stopping the creation of Pebble Mine, the largest open-pit mine in North America.
Related Species
-
Sea Turtle
-
Vaquita
-
Whale Shark
-
Dugong
-
Humphead Wrasse
-
Dolphins and Porpoises
-
Whale
-
Seals
-
Sea Lions
-
Marine Iguana
-
Tuna
-
Bluefin Tuna
-
Sei Whale
-
Yellowfin Tuna
-
Hawksbill Turtle
-
Skipjack Tuna
-
Great White Shark
-
Loggerhead Turtle
-
Leatherback Turtle
-
Green Turtle
-
Olive Ridley Turtle
-
Albacore Tuna
-
Bigeye Tuna
-
North Atlantic Right Whale
-
Blue Whale
-
Fin Whale
-
Bowhead Whale
-
Gray Whale
-
Hector's Dolphin
-
Galápagos Penguin
-
Shark
-
Polar Bear
-
Narwhal
-
Beluga
-
Arctic Wolf
-
Brown Bear
-
Arctic Fox