THE ANADROMOUS SOCKEYE, is also known as the Red salmon. It is common from Point Hope, Alaska, south to the Klamath River in California. The Sockeye is one of the most important commercial fish in Alaska.

The colors of the Sockeye salmon in ocean waters are metallic greenish-blue on the dorsal surface with fine black specklings. The large black spots that are found on the backs of Silver, King and Pink salmon are completely lacking on Sockeye. The sides are silvery that blend to white on the underbelly. Mature male Sockeye in fresh water have humped backs, hooked upper jaw and brilliant red coloration on the back blending to deep dark red on the sides. The ventral, pectoral and caudal fins are metallic green. The mature females lack the humped back and the hooked jaw and usually have greenish-yellow blotches on the sides, in addition to the dark red. Young fish are mainly green and silver on the sides. They have 6 to 10 oval blotches on the sides which barely extend below the lateral line.

During early summer the adult Sockeye salmon migrate from salt water to freshwater stream systems where they originated. Some of the spawning tributaries are in lakes, streams, and alongside beaches. At sea Sockeye are bright and silvery, but when they enter freshwater where they spawn they change to bright red. Within one to two months in late summer they are ready to spawn. During spawning the female digs a nest, or redd, with her tail fin so that she can lay her eggs in it. Then one or more males fertilize the eggs. Both male and female die usually within two weeks after spawning. During the fall and winter the eggs develop into alevins. These tiny fish live in the gravel utilizing the food materials contained in the yolk of the egg. In the early spring the fry move into lakes and spend one or more years in freshwater before migrating to the sea in the spring as smolts. The migration of smolts usually ends by midsummer. After two to four years in salt water, mature fish usually have attained weights varying from four to eight pounds. These fish usually stay in the saltwater for four to six years before returning to freshwater to spawn.

The major freshwater food for young Sockeye is minute planktonic crustacea, although insects are occasionally eaten. In the ocean the young Sockeye feed on marine planktonic forms and small crustaceans.

Sport fishermen seldom hook Sockeye while in saltwater. But when they enter freshwater they hook them as they go upstream.

Commercial fishing for Sockeye salmon is mostly done in Bristol Bay or Cook Inlet. Commercial fishermen refer to these salmon as "money-fish" because they only fish for it to make money. The average yearly catch from 1955 to 1971 was worth approximately $16.4 million. The most common method of commercial fishing for it is with drift gill nets.

Jack George