![]() Upon leaving their redds, Pink make a beeline for the ocean, where they mature and grow the fastest of Pacific salmon. In North America, they run as far south as Puget Sound and as far north as the Mackenzie River. The Atlas of Pacific Salmon (University of California Press: 2005) notes that populations have been found as far north and west as Russia’s Lena River. During non-spawning times, Pink salmon are blue-green with black dots along the back and silvery sides. (Breeding females, like females of so many other species, salmon or otherwise, don’t change appearance very much). They develop a huge hump in front of the dorsal fin and like Chum, their snouts hook sharply downward while their lower jaws swell to the point of preventing their mouths from closing. Small size and relatively rounded shape is one sure indicator of a Pink but male Pinks are especially recognizable just before and during spawning. Pink salmon don’t just have to deal with the regular slew of Pacific salmon predators they are also preyed on by Coho salmon and Cutthroat trout. They return to freshwater to spawn either in even or odd years those that return in even years are genetically distinct from those returning in odd years. Pink salmon have the shortest lifespans of Pacific salmon: two years. Because of their small size, they are especially likely to travel in schools for protection. ![]() They exhibit the least dependence on freshwater, starting immediately for the ocean upon emerging from their redds (redds are the nests where salmon get their start). They weigh from three to 11 pounds, and measure 18 to 24 inches long. The smallest of BC’s Pacific salmon, Pink salmon are also populous and the least vulnerable to extinction.
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