There are five commercially valuable species of salmon in Alaskan waters.
All salmon spawn in fresh water after spending their lives in the ocean.
They are able to find the very stream they were spawned in, and they spawn
there and die.  Period.  They don't go back out to sea.  They live to spawn
once then die.  In some parts of Alaska, it is legal to catch salmon in
fresh water, but on the coast it is illegal, in order to allow as many fish
as possible to escape to their spawning grounds.  The average lifespan of
an Alaskan salmon is four years.  The Chinook, or King, might go a little
longer, but the smaller species are all four-year fish.

The biggest species is the Chinook, which can weigh up to a hundred pounds,
and is an awesome adventure to catch.  The meat is red when raw, and the
fish itself turns red when it gets into its spawning waters.  It is usually
mounted.  Who wants to eat a catch this big, that looks like this?

Next in size is the Dog, or Chum.  It is also called the "Calico" for the
purple stripes on its sides when it takes on its spawning colors. It is
bright silver in salt water, and is hard to tell from the Coho.  It is
called the "Dog" because it develops long, ugly fangs when it comes into
its spawning waters.  It is commercially valuable, but is often substituted
for Pink salmon in small cans.  If you open a can of "pink" salmon, and the
meat is more of a creamy yellowish color, it's Chum.  There isn't much
difference in the taste, and it is nutritious and wholesome.

The "Coho" or "Silver" is next in size.  It runs deep, around 25 feet, and
is trolled for by drawing a lure or herring through what it thinks is its
territory.  It turns a bright red in its spawning territory, and weighs
anywhere from six to 15 pounds and is delicious.  Its meat is a little
softer than the other species', and is a pale pink when cooked.  It is
mostly sold "in the round," for steaks.  In Alaska, it is prepared as
steaks or pickled.  When cooked, it tends to be a little mushy.

Next is the "Red" or "Sockeye."  This is the Cadillac of Alaska salmon.  It
is small, only going to six pounds (very consistently.  Research shows that
large numbers of fish, when weighed, varied only by a couple of ounces).
It is what they call a "gillfeeder," and is seldom caught on sport gear,
since it doesn't feed on other fish, but on insects and krill, and is
mostly a commercial species.  It's gorgeous.  It is a deep, gunmetal silver
torpedo in saltwater, but turns a vibrant scarlet in its spawning waters.
When cooked, its meat is the exact shade of pink we think of as "salmon."
It is firm, flavorful meat, and is excellent either canned or eaten as
steaks or fillets.  This is also the most expensive canned salmon on the
market.

Last but not least is the lowly "Pink,"  or "Humpy," as it is
affectionately know by Alaskans all up and down the coast.  This far and
away the most commercially valuable and abundant species in Alaskan waters.
 It is small, with wild stock averaging around 4 or 5 pounds, while
hatchery fish range as high as  7 or 8 pounds. It is bright silver in salt
water, but in fresh water its spawning colors are dark green.  It develops
a large hump on its back which is the source of its nickname.  The meat is
deep pink when raw and soft pink when cooked.  These fish are more fun to
catch than just about anything in the water.  (If you can't catch a humpy,
better check the end of your line for a hook!) They have been known to jump
into a boat when they are feeding, and are the fish that keep Alaskans not
only fishing, but alive.  Many, many Alaskans from the Interior come to
Valdez every summer to "make the winter's meat."  Pink salmon is the
"hamburger of the north."  It is also inexpensive, but it is
very tasty.  My personal favorite.

Hope this little primer helps you choose your fish.

Liz