 Coho
Salmon
Latin
Name: Oncorhynchus kisutch
Family:
Salmonidae
Other
Names: Silver salmon,
silver trout, blueback, silversides,
jack, hooknose
 Appearance:
Young Coho have distinctive
Pa. markings. Ocean adults have
silvery sides with metallic
blue back and irregular black
spots. Unlike black-gummed Chinook,
Coho have pale, white gums.
Spawning males develop hooked
jaws and sharp teeth, may have
dark to bright red on sides,
bright green on back and head.
Spawning females have more subdued
colour, less hooked snout. Average
weight: 2.7 5.4 kilograms, average
length: 60-75 centimetres.
Range:
Occur naturally from southern
California to Bering Sea, in
coastal streams from Californian
to Alaska, and in coastal streams
from Northern Japan to Andyr
River in Siberia. Major territory
between Cook Inlet to Columbia
River. Successfully transplanted
to inland lakes and rivers
in both North and South America,
including Great Lakes.
Life
History: Most consistent
life history next to pink salmon.
Broadly distributed freshwater
habitat. Juvenile fry remain
one to two years in coastal
streams, lakes or estuaries.
Average of two years in ocean,
returning to spawn in third
year.
A
Sporting Challenge:
Strong, swift and active,
Coho are the most popular
gamefish of the salmon family,
highly sought after in both
their natural and transplanted
habitats.
Versatile
Yet Vulnerable: Although
it prefers slightly warmer,
slower-moving water, and smaller
gravel in which to nest, the
adaptable Coho can make its
freshwater home in a wide
variety of rivers,
tributaries and small streams.
But young Coho, living through
the winter in freshwater before
heading to the ocean, rely
on downed trees, beaver ponds
and other vegetation to prevent
them from being swept downstream.
They are particularly threatened
by logging, shoreline development,
and wetland elimination.
Seawater
Growth Spurt: In their
second year in the ocean,
growing Coho eat massive amounts
of squid, herring, sandlance
and large zooplankton. Some
Coho increase their weight
by up to 400% during this
time.
Call
Me Jack: A small percentage
of Coho (about 5%), return
to spawn after only one year
at sea. Known as "jack
salmon", these precocious
Coho are counted to predict
the abundance of the next
three year old Coho run.
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