What species of wild salmon am I eating?

There are five species of Pacific salmon caught in the US.

• King salmon, or Chinook salmon are the largest Pacific salmon. The largest king salmon caught each year usually weighs around 90 pounds, and is around 6 feet in length! The average weight of a commercially caught king salmon is 18 pounds, but their weight is commonly found to be over 30 pounds. Their average length is 36 inches.

• Sockeye salmon is the most available wild-caught salmon. The flesh is reddish or dark pink, and the mature fish appear to have red bodies, with green heads. Sockeye average weight is around 4-8 pounds and 25 inches.

• Coho salmon are acrobatic fish, making them excellent jumpers while fighting their way upstream. Their average weight is 8 pounds and average length is 20-30 inches.

• Chum salmon or Keta salmon are a little bit bigger than sockeye and coho, averaging 25 inches in length and 7-18 pounds in weight. Female Chum are smaller than males. Chum salmon are sometimes called dog salmon because of their sharp teeth. They are also abundant in waters around Asia.

• Pink salmon are the smallest sized salmon and the most abundant. These salmon are mostly used for canned salmon. Their average size is 20-25 inches, and 3 ½-4 pounds.