TLDR;
This video provides a guide on how to identify different species of Pacific salmon, focusing on Chinook, Coho, Chum, and Steelhead. It details key characteristics such as size, spots on the back and tail, mouth and gum color, and spawning phase coloration to differentiate between these species. The video also includes a review and practice section to reinforce identification skills.
- Identification of Chinook, Coho, Chum, and Steelhead salmon.
- Key characteristics: size, spots, mouth color, and spawning coloration.
- Comparative analysis to distinguish between species.
Chapter 2: How to Identify Pacific Salmon [0:13]
This section introduces the identification of non-target salmon species: Chinook, Coho, Chum, and Steelhead. The guide aims to teach viewers how to distinguish these species through various physical characteristics, followed by a review and a quiz to test identification skills.
Identifying Chinook Salmon [0:53]
Chinook salmon are the largest, typically weighing 10-20 lbs and measuring 80-90 cm. Key features include spots on both the upper and lower tail portions and irregular spots on their back. They have large, sharp teeth and a black mouth with black gums, also known as "Blackmouth" salmon. During spawning, they darken in color, ranging from dark red to bluish-green, with males developing a kype and a hump. Chinook Jacks can be confused with pink salmon due to their smaller size.
Identifying Coho Salmon [2:22]
Coho salmon generally weigh 6-12 lbs and measure 50-70 cm. They are often confused with Chinook due to similar size and spots on their backs, but Coho have fewer spots and only on the upper half of their tails. They have large teeth and dark mouths but distinctively light or white gums, which is the best way to differentiate them from Chinook. Coho have a square-shaped tail and a thick caudal peduncle. During spawning, males turn reddish on the sides, green on the back and head, and often dark on the belly, developing a kype and a hump.
Identifying Chum Salmon [3:30]
Chum salmon typically weigh 8-12 lbs and measure 60-70 cm. They usually spawn close to the ocean. Unlike Coho and Chinook, Chum salmon lack spots on their backs or tails. They have light-colored mouths, but their teeth are quite large, erupting from a dark band in their light gums. Chum have a long, narrow caudal peduncle, a deep fork in their tail, and a small white tip on their anal fin. During spawning, they show reddish-purple streaks or bars along their sides and an olive tinge on their dorsal surface, with males developing a kype and a hump.
Identifying Steelhead [4:43]
Steelhead trout can spawn more than once, weighing 7-20 lbs and measuring 50-80 cm. They have relatively small heads, small sharp teeth on their upper and lower jaws, and light mouths with white gums. Steelhead have many small spots on their backs and tails, a square-shaped tail, and a wide caudal peduncle. As they approach spawning, they darken on their backs and turn red on their sides, though most encountered Steelhead will likely be bright in color.
Salmon Identification Practice [5:35]
This section focuses on practicing salmon identification skills by closely examining the mouths and tails of different species. Chinook and Coho have darker mouths, but Chinook have black gums while Coho have white gums. Pink salmon also have darker gums, while Chum and Sockeye are in between. Pink and Chinook have obvious spots on their tails, with pink having bigger, oval spots. Coho usually have spots only on the upper portion of their tail. Chum and Sockeye lack spots, but Chum have a narrower caudal peduncle and silvery streaks in their caudal fin. Chum also have deeply forked tails, while Coho tails are quite square.