Alaska
>> Species >> Pink
Salmon
Alaskan Pink Salmon
Pink Salmon 
Scientific Name: Oncorhynchus
Gorbuscha
Market Names: Salmon, Pink Salmon,
Humpback Salmon
Vernacular Names: Dog Salmon,
Gorbusch, Haddo, Holia Description:
Pink Salmon are bright steely-blue on their backs
with silvery sides and large black spots on their backs and
tail fin. The male Pink salmon develops a large hump on its
back and hooked jaws before it spawns. Pink Salmon are the smallest
of the Pacific salmon. The average weight is 3-5 pounds and
mature at 2 years old. The flesh of the Pink salmon is a very
light pink color and must be processed very quickly to retain
the freshness. The Pink salmon is generally used for canning.
Pinks also produces the largest havested numbers of salmon in
Alaska.
Life Cycle: There are several
stages to the life cycle of an Alaska Salmon, eggs- alevins-fry-smolt-adult-spawning
adult. An adult salmon deposits her eggs in gravel beds (also
called redds) in freshwater streams and rivers. Once the eggs
have been fertilized by the male salmon the embryos will incubate
over the winter months and then hatch into alevins in late winter.
In the alevins phase of life the salmon take on a strange appearance
having large eyes, a ballooning orange sack and pencil like
body. Approximately 4 months after becoming an alevin the young
salmon changes into a fry. A salmon fry averages 1 inch in length,
has an elongated body and is free swimming. Some salmon species
spend a year or more as a fry. A fry blossoms into a smolt when
it is ready to head to the ocean were it will stay until it
matures into an adult salmon. The pink salmon emerage from the
gravel and head to sea where it takes two years to reach maturity.
The mature female salmon will begin its journey back to its
place of origin were it will deposit between 1,500 and 2,000
eggs and then die, continuing the salmon life cycle.
Run Times: Pink salmon runs are
typically seen in south central Alaska starting in the end of
June and ending in the early part of September.
Record weight sport caught pink salmon:
12 lbs. 9 oz. caught by Steven A. Lee in 1974 while fishing
on the Moose River.
Nutritional Information: One ½ lb.
fillet of Pink Salmon has 184.4 calories, 31.7 grams of protein,
5.4 grams of fat, 0.8 grams of saturated fat and 106.5 milligrams
of sodium.
Seafood Nutrition
Table
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specie.
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