Sockeye Salmon

salmon · ocean migration · Pacific

Epic ocean travelers. Sockeye salmon travel up to 1,000 miles from the ocean back to the rivers where they were born, navigating using mysterious senses that guide them home like living GPS.

Turning bright red. When sockeye salmon swim upstream to spawn, their bodies transform from silver to brilliant red, which is why they are also called red salmon.

Medium-sized swimmers. Sockeye salmon grow up to 33 inches long and weigh between 5 and 15 pounds, making them smaller than some other Pacific salmon species but powerful enough for their incredible journey.

Tiny food lovers. These salmon survive by eating zooplankton, which are microscopic creatures floating in the ocean, filtering millions of these specks during their ocean years.

One generation only. Sockeye salmon spawn just once in their lifetime and then die, which means every salmon you see has completed its entire life story in a single epic adventure.