Pink salmon – Oncorhynchus gorbuscha

The name “humpback salmon”, another name for pink salmon, comes from the male’s appearance close to spawning, which includes a large hump growing on the back in addition to the hooked jaw. Pink salmon is a migratory fish species, which grows in the sea and reproduces in rivers. Unlike regular salmon, all pink salmon individuals die after spawning. Pink salmon spawns in July–September, and pink salmon fry migrate to the sea during their first summer, when they are roughly 4–5 cm long. The lifecycle of pink salmon is always two years, and the species consists of populations that spawn during even years, and those that spawn during odd years. The natural distribution range of pink salmon is in the northern parts of the Pacific Ocean, but the species has also been stocked in the North Atlantic. Stocking has been more successful with populations that spawn during odd years.