---
title: "What the sources say about the Sockeye Salmon | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "52 claims from the Sockeye Salmon profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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---

# What the sources say about the Sockeye Salmon (*Oncorhynchus nerka*)

> 52 claims from the Sockeye Salmon profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Sockeye Salmon](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/sockeye-salmon/)

## Sockeye Salmon. NOAA Fisheries.

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/sockeye-salmon

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A silver sea-going fish that turns bright red | Sea-going sockeye salmon have iridescent silver flanks, a white belly, and a metallic green-blue top ... their heads turn green and their bodies turn bright red (note: tagline) |
| and the ocean | Anadromous sockeye migrate from fresh water habitats to the ocean to further grow, feed, and mature. (note: stats.habitat, ocean half) |
| Silver at sea, red in the river | Sea-going sockeye salmon have iridescent silver flanks ... their heads turn green and their bodies turn bright red (note: heading) |
| A sea-going sockeye has iridescent silver flanks, a white belly and a metallic green-blue back | Sea-going sockeye salmon have iridescent silver flanks, a white belly, and a metallic green-blue top |
| which earns it the nickname "blueback" | giving them their "blueback" name |
| As sockeye return to their freshwater spawning grounds, their heads turn green and their bodies turn bright red | As sockeye salmon return to their freshwater spawning grounds, their heads turn green and their bodies turn bright red |
| Spawning males also grow a humped back and hooked jaws filled with tiny, visible teeth | Spawning males develop a humped back and hooked jaws filled with tiny, visible teeth. |
| A five-year loop | their lifespan is about 5 years, although some live longer (note: heading) |
| Sockeye is one of the smaller species of Pacific salmon | Sockeye is one of the smaller species of Pacific salmon |
| measuring 1.5 to 2.5 feet (about 46 to 76 cm) and weighing 4 to 15 pounds (about 1.8 to 6.8 kg) | Sockeye is one of the smaller species of Pacific salmon, measuring 1.5 to 2.5 feet in length and weighing 4 to 15 pounds. (note: converted: 1.5 ft = 45.7 cm, 2.5 ft = 76.2 cm; 4 lb = 1.8 kg, 15 lb = 6.8 kg) |
| Kokanee, sockeye that spend their whole lives in fresh water | Some sockeye salmon are not anadromous and spend their entire lives in freshwater. In the Pacific Northwest, non-anadromous sockeye are known as "kokanee." (note: the page scopes it to kokanee, which NOAA names as the non-anadromous sockeye) |
| rarely exceed 1.2 feet (about 37 cm) | Kokanee (non-anadromous sockeye) rarely exceed 1.2 feet in length. (note: 1.2 ft = 36.6 cm) |
| A sockeye's lifespan is about 5 years, although some live longer | They sexually mature around the age of 5, which means their lifespan is about 5 years, although some live longer. |
| Most sockeye hatch in freshwater streams or lakes and generally rear in lakes for 1 to 3 years | Most sockeye salmon are anadromous—they hatch in freshwater streams and rivers or lakes and generally rear in freshwater lakes for 1 to 3 years |
| feeding mainly on zooplankton (tiny floating animals) | juvenile sockeye salmon feed mainly on zooplankton (tiny floating animals) |
| Then they migrate to the ocean to feed and grow | after which they reach the smolt stage and migrate to the ocean to feed and grow |
| They typically return to fresh water after 2 to 3 years at sea | They typically mature and return to fresh water after 2 to 3 years at sea |
| The female digs nests, called redds, with her tail and deposits 2,000 to 4,500 eggs in them | Females select spawning sites, dig nests (redds) with their tails, and deposit eggs (between 2,000 and 4,500) in the redds. |
| All sockeye die within a few weeks after spawning | All sockeye salmon die within a few weeks after spawning. |
| the carcasses are a valuable source of energy and nutrients to the river ecosystem | salmon carcasses are a valuable source of energy and nutrients to the river ecosystem |
| In North America, sockeye range from northwest Alaska to the Deschutes River in Oregon | Range Northwest Alaska to the Deschutes River in Oregon. (note: NOAA page (last updated 06/29/2026) replaces ADFG's undated Klamath River southern limit) |
| Sharks, lampreys and marine mammals prey on adults at sea, and bears, eagles and occasionally wolves feed on them in fresh water | Sharks, lampreys, and marine mammals prey on adult salmon in the ocean. Bears, eagles, and occasionally wolves feed on sockeye salmon in fresh water. |
| The red shows up on the swim back to fresh water to spawn | As sockeye salmon return to their freshwater spawning grounds, their heads turn green and their bodies turn bright red |
| Its other common name in Alaska is red salmon | As sockeye salmon return to their freshwater spawning grounds, their heads turn green and their bodies turn bright red, hence their other common name in Alaska is “red” salmon. |
| A kokanee is a sockeye that spends its entire life in fresh water | Some sockeye salmon are not anadromous and spend their entire lives in freshwater. (note: the sentence says the fish spend their entire lives in fresh water) |
| NOAA Fisheries calls these fish non-anadromous | Kokanee (non-anadromous sockeye) |
| in the Pacific Northwest they carry the name kokanee | In the Pacific Northwest, non-anadromous sockeye are known as "kokanee." |
| They rarely grow past 1.2 feet long | Kokanee (non-anadromous sockeye) rarely exceed 1.2 feet in length. |
| NOAA Fisheries reported that as of 2019, one West Coast population was listed as endangered and one as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act | As of 2019, one population of sockeye salmon is listed as endangered and one is listed as threatened under the ESA. (note: NOAA page last updated 06/29/2026 still states this; the date stays in the sentence) |
| A sea-going sockeye is otherwise silver with a blue-green back | Sea-going sockeye salmon have iridescent silver flanks, a white belly, and a metallic green-blue top |

## Sockeye Salmon. Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=sockeyesalmon.main

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| swims back to the freshwater system where it hatched | Eventually they return to spawn in the same freshwater system where they were hatched. (note: tagline) |
| Returns to spawn in the freshwater system where it was hatched | Eventually they return to spawn in the same freshwater system where they were hatched. (note: stats.superpower) |
| Freshwater lakes, streams and estuaries | Fresh water lakes, streams and estuaries provide important habitat for spawning and rearing sockeye salmon. (note: stats.habitat, freshwater half) |
| Zooplankton, small crustaceans and insects, and occasionally squid and small fish | feeding on plankton, insects, small crustaceans, and occasionally squid and small fish (note: stats.diet) |
| Thousands of miles, then home | Alaska sockeye salmon travel thousands of miles during this time ... Eventually they return to spawn in the same freshwater system where they were hatched. (note: blockquote lead) |
| Alaska sockeye travel thousands of miles at sea, drifting in the counter-clockwise current of the Alaska Gyre in the Gulf of Alaska | Alaska sockeye salmon travel thousands of miles during this time, drifting in the counter-clockwise current of the Alaska Gyre in the Gulf of Alaska. |
| Eventually they return to spawn in the same freshwater system where they were hatched | Eventually they return to spawn in the same freshwater system where they were hatched. |
| From Oregon to Siberia | North America "– Klamath River, OR to the Chukchi Sea. Asia – Hokkaido, Japan to Anadyr River, Siberia (note: heading) |
| In Asia, they range from Hokkaido, Japan, to the Anadyr River in Siberia | Asia – Hokkaido, Japan to Anadyr River, Siberia |
| The largest populations are in the rivers that flow into Alaska's Bristol Bay, plus the Fraser River system in Canada | The largest sockeye salmon populations are in the Kvichak, Naknek, Ugashik, Egegik, and Nushagak Rivers that flow into Alaska’s Bristol Bay, plus the Fraser River system in Canada. |
| In good years, these runs can number in the tens of millions of fish | In good years, these runs can number in the tens of millions of fish. |
| Sockeye filter zooplankton and other small animals from the water with their gill rakers | Sockeye salmon filter zooplankton and other small animals from the water with their “gill rakers”. |
| In the ocean they also eat small crustaceans, insects, and occasionally squid and small fish | they grow quickly during their 1-3 years in the ocean, feeding on plankton, insects, small crustaceans, and occasionally squid and small fish |
| After thousands of miles at sea, a sockeye returns to spawn in the same freshwater system where it hatched | Eventually they return to spawn in the same freshwater system where they were hatched. (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body claim "swims back to the freshwater system where it hatched") |

## Rand (2011). Oncorhynchus nerka. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011: e.T135301A4071001.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2011-2.rlts.t135301a4071001.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: stats.conservationStatus; category read via GBIF's copy of the Red List) |
| The IUCN Red List rates the species Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). |

## Farrell et al. (2008). Pacific Salmon in Hot Water: Applying Aerobic Scope Models and Biotelemetry to Predict the Success of Spawning Migrations. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology.

https://doi.org/10.1086/592057

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Trouble in warm water | the success of river migration for the same sockeye population was temperature dependent (note: heading) |
| for that same population, the success of the river migration depended on temperature | revealed that the success of river migration for the same sockeye population was temperature dependent |
| They tracked individual sockeye up the Fraser River with biotelemetry | our biotelemetry studies, which tracked the migration of individual sockeye salmon in the Fraser River |
| Researchers predicted that unusually high river temperatures in 2004 caused a complete collapse of aerobic scope | This close association was then used to predict that the occurrence of a period of anomalously high river temperatures in 2004 led to a complete collapse of aerobic scope during river migration for a portion of one of the sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) populations. (note: the population is one of the three Fraser River salmon populations the abstract names The parenthetical defining aerobic scope is a plain-language gloss of the physiological term, not a claim from this source.) |
| the data backed the prediction | This prediction was corroborated with empirical data from our biotelemetry studies |
| The researchers suggest that the collapse was an important mechanism behind the high salmon mortality seen during the migration | we suggest that collapse of aerobic scope was an important mechanism to explain the high salmon mortality observed during their migration |