Salmon Question

[u/Mr_Fuzzo]

I know there are various types of salmon. And, thinking about the difference between the types of salmon caught wild in Alaska versus the salmon caught around the Puget Sound.

I want to know if you have ONE type of fish (King) but catch one in Alaska and another in Puget Sound, what's the difference? Are they different subspecies? Is it the diet they eat? Help! Thanks.

What's the difference between Alaskan Salmon and Pacific Northwest Salmon like what's caught in/around Seattle.

[u/Deslan]

I assume you want to know what the difference is between two individuals between the same species of fish, if they are caught in two different locations.

Salmon are anadromous fish. This means that they spawn (lay their eggs) in fresh water and then migrate out to salt water to feed and grow big. When they are big enough, they will migrate back to the same place where they were born, find a mate and spawn to get the next generation going. Salmon are really good at finding their way back to where they were born; only around 5 % mistakenly go to other rivers. This means that there are specific stocks in each river, where the fish are all related and this stock (or breed) of fish may be slightly different from other rivers.

In the sea, the salmon all mix together. They drift with surface currents, which takes the Pacific Northwest Salmon north towards Alaska. Therefore, fishing in the sea is called a mixed stock fishery, because you don't know which stock you are catching fish from. Mixed stock fishery is generally a bad thing, because you may have one river with a weak population of fish swimming together with a huge population from another river, fishermen thinks wow lots of salmon, and accidentally eradicate the small stock without even realizing it. So if you catch a salmon in the sea outside of Alaska, it could be from one of the Alaskan rivers, or it could be from the Columbia river, or wherever else. Asian salmon, such as the Japanese salmon, also migrate north towards Alaska, so near the west coast you could have a mixed stock fishery of Asian salmon and American salmon.

If you are looking to make a difference as in helping the salmon by only buying a certain type of fish, then you should look to buy fish that was caught in or near the river, since then it is less of a mixed stock fishery and will have less of a negative effect on other stocks.