Spotlight: Wild Juvenile Chinook

Spotlight: Identifiable Features of a Juvenile Wild Chinook Salmon

Diagram - Identifiable features of a wild juvenile chinook salmon

Let’s remind ourselves how this juvenile wild chinook salmon compares with juveniles of the other four species of Pacific Northwest salmon:

CHINOOK

  • Parr marks oval, wider than interspaces
  • No spots
  • Dark spotting both lobes of tail
  • 13 or more rays in the anal fin

COHO

  • Parr marks oval, but narrower than interspaces
  • No spots
  • Long first rays often white
  • 13 or more rays
  • Little or no spotting in lower lobe of tail

SOCKEYE

  • Adipose fin clear, not pigmented
  • No spots
  • 13 or more rays

CHUM

  • Faint parr marks, extend little, if any, below lateral line.
  • Leaves fresh water as fry
  • 13 or more rays

PINK

  • No parr marks
  • No spots
  • 13 or more rays