Side by Side

Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha

Typical: 18–25 in, 3–5 lb

Key field mark: Big oval spots covering the WHOLE tail plus the tiniest scales of any salmon clinch a pink; coho spot only the upper lobe and chum has no real spots.

• Large oval/oblong black blotches over the entire tail AND on the back
• Very small scales (smallest of any Pacific salmon)
• Bright silver at sea; smallest, most slender Pacific salmon
• Spawning males develop a pronounced humped back

Full Pink Salmon guide — season, gear and rules →

Sockeye Salmon Oncorhynchus nerka

Typical: 22–28 in, 4–8 lb

Key field mark: Spotless body plus numerous long, fine, closely set gill rakers (count them on the first arch — far more than chum's short, sparse rakers) confirm a sockeye.

• No spots on back or tail
• Bright silver body at sea, greenish-blue back; prominent glassy eye
• Many fine, long, closely spaced gill rakers on first arch (about 28-40)
• Spawners turn bright red with a green head

Full Sockeye Salmon guide — season, gear and rules →

When Each Is Running July — current month highlighted

Where Pink Salmon and Sockeye Salmon Overlap

Both run in Alaska — Southcentral & Southeast — that is where telling them apart actually matters.

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