Sockeye salmon
Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum, 1792)
The sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) is a bony fish in the family Salmonidae, subfamily Salmoninae, within the order Salmoniformes. It is also called Kokanee, Red salmon, Sockey salmon, Kokanee salmon and Blueback salmon, and its scientific name carries the authority (Walbaum, 1792).
Quick facts about the sockeye salmon
Its recorded habitat is marine, and the IUCN Red List classifies it as Least Concern in its global assessment, which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- 2.3 kg – 7 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- up to 84 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- marinesrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the sockeye salmon
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Where does the sockeye salmon live?
Not recorded
What is the sockeye salmon?
The sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), also called red salmon, kokanee salmon, blueback salmon, or simply sockeye, is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it. This species is a Pacific salmon that is primarily red in hue during spawning. They can grow up to 84 cm (2 ft 9 in) in length and weigh 2.3 to 7 kg (5–15 lb). Juveniles remain in freshwater until they are ready to migrate to the ocean, over distances of up to 1,600 km (1,000 mi). Their diet consists primarily of zooplankton. Sockeye salmon are semelparous, dying after they spawn. Some populations, referred to as kokanee, do not migrate to the ocean and live their entire lives in fresh water.
From the Wikipedia article “Sockeye salmon” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sockeye_salmon&oldid=1374925949), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the sockeye salmon endangered?
The sockeye salmon is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the sockeye salmon classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderSalmoniformes
- familySalmonidae
- genusOncorhynchus
- SpeciesOncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum, 1792)
Synonyms Hypsifario kennerlyi, Oncorhynchus adonis, Oncorhynchus nerka kennerlyi, Oncorhynchus nerka nerka, Salmo kennerlyi, Salmo nerka, Salmo paucidens
Other names and names in other languages (40)
- Blueback salmonEnglish
- KokaneeEnglish
- Kokanee salmonEnglish
- Red salmonEnglish
- Red salmonEnglish
- Sockey salmonEnglish
- Sockey salmonEnglish
- salmón bermeyuAsturian
- Salmó vermellCatalan
- losos nerkaCzech
- RotlachsGerman
- BlaurückenlachsGerman
- salmon rojoSpanish
- Salmón RojoSpanish
- sayakCentral Yupik
- punalohiFinnish
- kokaniFrench
- saumon rougeFrench
- saumon sockeyeFrench
- Vörös lazacHungarian
- Salmone rossoItalian
- BenizakeJapanese
- ヒメマスJapanese
- ベニザケJapanese
- ベニザケ／ヒメマスJapanese
- ნერკაGeorgian
- 홍연어Korean
- rødlaksNorwegian Bokmål
- rode zalmDutch
- raudlaksNorwegian Nynorsk
- Salmão-vermelhoPortuguese
- НеркаRussian
- краснаяRussian
- NerkaRussian
- rdeči lososSlovenian
- indianlaxSwedish
- Cá hồi đỏVietnamese
- 紅鮭Chinese
- 紅鉤吻鮭Chinese
- 红大马哈鱼Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the sockeye salmon
Other species in the same genus Oncorhynchus.
Rainbow trout
Oncorhynchus mykiss
Pink salmon
Oncorhynchus gorbuscha
Chum salmon
Oncorhynchus keta
Chinook salmon
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
Coho salmon
Oncorhynchus kisutch
Clark's trout
Oncorhynchus clarkii
CompareSockeye salmon vs Rainbow troutSockeye salmon vs Pink salmonSockeye salmon vs Chum salmonSockeye salmon vs Chinook salmon
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the sockeye salmon?
The sockeye salmon is a bony fish. It belongs to the family Salmonidae in the order Salmoniformes.
What is the scientific name of the sockeye salmon?
The scientific name of the sockeye salmon is Oncorhynchus nerka, placed in the genus Oncorhynchus.
Is the sockeye salmon endangered?
No. The IUCN Red List classifies the sockeye salmon as Least Concern in its global assessment, which is not a threatened category.
What habitat does the sockeye salmon live in?
The sockeye salmon lives in marine habitat.
What are other names for the sockeye salmon?
Other English names for the sockeye salmon are Kokanee, Red salmon, Sockey salmon, Kokanee salmon and Blueback salmon.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/sockeye-salmon
“Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/sockeye-salmon.
@misc{sockeye_salmon_2026,
title = {Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/sockeye-salmon},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}