Alaska Saltwater Fish

Alaska salmon swim wild throughout the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska and are quite plentiful. More than 213 million salmon were commercially harvested in Alaska in 2004. This was the second largest harvest of salmon in Alaska history, and exceeded the predicted harvest by 51 million.


King Salmon - Chinook:
Lightly spotted on their blue -green back, chinook salmon live from five to seven years, and weigh up to 120 pounds. Known also as Chinook salmon, they have the highest oil-content, which is what gives a salmon its rich flavor. The king is the largest of all salmon species, and the most desirable to sport fishers.

Red Salmon - Sockeye:
Blue-tinged silver in color, sockeye salmon live four to five years. They weigh up to 7 pounds, and are the slimmest and most streamlined of the five species of Alaskan salmon. Known to fishermen in Alaska as reds, the sockeye is historically our most valuable fish because of its high oil content and ability to hold its bright red flesh color.

Silver Salmon - Coho:
Bright silver in color, coho salmon live three years, weigh up to 15 pounds, and are a popular game fish sought by sport fishers. Coho are known as silvers when caught before full maturity. They are the most popular game fish of the salmon family, as well as one of the most valuable commercial species.
Pink Salmon - Humpies:
These are the smallest and most abundant salmon in area waters. Pinks have a two-year life cycle and average 3-5 pounds. Upon entering freshwater streams, pinks develop a dorsal hump, thus their nickname "Humpy."

Other Alaska Saltwater Game Fish:

There are many different bottom fish patrolling Alaska's cold deep waters.

Halibut:
Halibut are by far the most popular bottomfish inhabiting the waters of Alaska. The Pacific Halibut is a toothy flatfish that is normally caught on or near the ocean floor. As with the majority of bottomfish, drifting or anchoring with bait are among the most preferred means of enticing these monsters, which can literally take hours to land. The largest Pacific Halibut ever caught while sport fishing, tipped the scales at 495 pounds.


Ling Cod (Southeast Alaska):
Like Halibut and rockfish, Lingcod are usually found on or near the bottom, most often over rocky reefs in areas of strong currents. These fish are extremely aggressive predators, often growing to over 50 pounds in weight and 4 feet in length. These feisty fish usually range from 10-40 pounds and are abundant throughout Southeast Alaska's fishing season.


Pacific Cod:
One of the most desirable of the North Pacific Ocean's groundfish, the Pacific cod is also known as grey cod, true cod or P-cod. It is similar to the Atlantic cod, with a belly shading grey to white, and has the typical chin barbel of the cod. The Pacific cod ranges the entire coast of Alaska and is harvested year round by trawls, longlines and pots.

Rockfish:
Rockfish is a term used to describe over 35 species of light-fleshed bottomfish, including the yellow-eye (red snapper) rockfish and black sea bass. Most rockfish weigh between 1-6 pounds, with the yellow-eye being the largest, averaging 6 pounds. Rockfish are long-lived, and depending on the species, may reach ages of 30-100 years. Good rockfish fishing occurs during the warm summer months.