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5 Varieties Of Salmon Species - How To Identify Them


5 Varieties Of Salmon Species - How To Identify Them

Author: Abhishek Agarwal

Fisherman should know how to identify the salmon fish that they catch. This is very important because it is against regulations to angle for certain kinds of salmon fish species and it would not do you any good to violate the law as you would be liable to pay a fine and maybe undergo severe outcome. You should only catch what you have a license for. It is quite easy to learn how to identify the various salmon fish species. Some of the tips given below will help you with this.

The tips given below will only pertain to the mature salmon fish and not to smelts and juvenile fish.

1. Chinook – which is one of the names given to a species of salmon fish is also known as the black mouth and king. Different species of salmon fish go by different names. The Chinook is the largest amongst the species of Pacific salmon, and can be easily recognized by the well-defined black coloration of the lower gums. The king salmon or Chinook is brown and olive in color on the back and has a dark black color on the sides. This fish also has many dark small spots on the back.

2. Coho – or Silver salmon which is another name for them, are not as big as the king salmon or the Chinook in size. The head is a bluish green color and so is the back. The gill covers are reddish right through the year, but the sides are a brilliant red or wine color and this depends on the time of the year.

3. Chum – which is another of the salmon species does not come too close to the shore or inland and prefers to stay in salt water. This is the second largest of the species of Pacific salmon and is clearly recognized by the purplish blue to red color and its horizontal bars. These fish have a very pronounced set of teeth which are very unique.

4. Sockeye – could be mistaken for the Coho because of its extreme red color. These fish do not move into the ocean and salt water until they have spent two years in a lake during the initial stage of their lives. The female is not as brightly colored as the male fish and there are no distinct spots on this fish. There is a noticeable hump on the back of the male Sockeyes just in front of the dorsal fin.

5. Kokanee – which is very much like the Sockeye, lives all its life in fresh water and does not go into salt water ever. The color and physical features are just like the Sockeye.

To be really in a good position to identify the different species of salmons, it is a good idea to bring a book on salmons along with you so that if you are not too sure you can always look for help. If you find that you have gone beyond the limit of your catch or have the wrong species of salmons it is better to return the catch to the water.

About the Author:

Abhishek is an avid Fishing enthusiast and he has got some great Fishing Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 116 Pages Ebook, "Fishing Mastery!" from his website http://www.Fishing-Masters.com/772/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.

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