Alaska Salmon Photos

All of the Salmon photographs on this site are available as stock photos for commercial licensing or as fine art display pictures for home and office decor.

Salmon overview

Alaska has several species of salmon, all of which are sought after for sport fishing and commercial fishing.

Salmon are normally anadromous - they are born in fresh water, migrate to the ocean, and then return to fresh water to reproduce. "spawned out" salmon typically die within days or weeks after spawning.

Salmon is a popular and important food, considered healthy due to high content of protein, vitamin D and Omega-3 fatty acids. Most Pacific salmon are wild caught, though perhaps one fifth are farmed.

King (Chinook) Salmon

The King Salmon is the largest of all Pacific salmon, commonly weighing over 30 pounds. It is Alaska's state fish, and highly sought after by anglers do to its size. In Alaska, it ranges from the panhandle to the Yukon River.

Red (Sockeye) Salmon

Red Salmon grow to as long as 33 inches and 6-8 pounds. They are blue and silver in the ocean, but turn red with a green head when they enter fresh water to spawn. Males also develop a hump on their back. Some consider red salmon to be some of the best tasting fish in the world.

Pink Salmon

Pink Salmon are the smallest of the Pacific salmon, growing to around 4 pounds. They are also the most abundant, and are important for the finishing industry. Harvests of greater than 100 million pink salmon have occurred in Alaska alone.