Washington Salmon
Identification
Pacific Salmon ID –
Marine Phase
| Take
a look at the different types of salmon and their unique identifying
characteristics.
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| Chinook
(king) |
- Mouth is dark
with a black gum line
- Large, sharp
teeth
- Spots on both
lobes of tail
- Large spots on
back
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Jaw – The
chinook has a dark mouth and black gums at the base of its teeth.
Immature chinook are known as a “blackmouth”
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Tail – Both
the upper and lower lobes of the tail are covered with spots and
silver is prominent.
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| Coho
(silver) |
- Mouth is light
with a white gum line
- Medium size,
sharp teeth
- Spots only on
upper lobe of tail
- Spots on back
- Wide caudal
peduncle
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CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE |
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Jaw - The
mouth is white and the gum line is almost white, but the tongue may be
black. The teeth are sharp and strong.
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Tail – The
coho tail has just a few scattered spots, usually on the upper lobe,
with silver streaks. It has a wide caudal peduncle.
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| Pink
(humpy) |
- Mouth is white
with a black gum line.
- In marine
areas, almost no teeth
- Large oval
spots on both lobes of tail
- Large black
spots on back
- Pointed lower
jaw
- No silver on
tail
- Very small
scales
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CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE |
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Jaw
– The mouth of a pink is white, but the gums and tongue are black, as
they are in a chinook. It does not have “teeth” on its tongue.
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Tail – The
pink salmon tail is covered with large oval spots. It does not have
silver on the tail. The scales are very small compared to other
salmon of the same size.
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| Chum
(dog) |
- Mouth is white
with a white gum line
- Well developed
teeth
- No spots on
tail or back
- Calico markings
(vertical bars) – faint on bright fish
- Narrow caudal
peduncle
- White tip on
anal fin
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CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE |
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Jaw
– The mouth is white and the gum line is white, but the tongue may be
black. The lips are fleshy with well developed teeth in both jaws, but
there are no teeth on the base of the tongue.
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CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Tail – The
tail has no spots, but does have silver streaks covering about half of
the fin. The caudal peduncle is narrow.
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| Sockeye
(red) |
- Mouth is white
with a white gum line
- Almost
toothless
- No spots on
tail or back
- Large, bright
gold, glassy eye
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CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE |
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CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Jaw
– The mouth is white and the gum line is white. The lips are fleshy.
The teeth are small and well developed in both jaws. There are no
teeth on the base of the tongue.
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CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Tail – There
are no spots on the tail.
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