The pink salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha is also known as the “humpback” or “humpy” because of its very pronounced, laterally flattened hump which develops on the backs of adult males before spawning.
It is called the “bread and butter” fish in many Alaskan coastal fishing communities because of its importance to commercial fisheries and thus to local economies.
The pink salmon is the smallest of the Pacific salmon found in North America with an average weight of about 3.5 to 4 pounds and average length of 20-25 inches.
An adult fish returning to coastal waters is bright steely blue on top and silvery on the sides with many large black spots on the back and entire tail fin. Its scales are very small and the flesh is pink. As the fish approaches the spawning streams the bright appearance of the male is replaced by brown to black above with a white belly; females become olive green with dusky bars or patches above and a light-colored belly.
By the time the male enters the spawning stream, it has developed the characteristic hump and hooked jaws.
