The chinook salmon, also known as king salmon, is the official state fish of Alaska. It is prized for its flavor, size, and fighting spirit. Fishing is critical to Alaska’s economy, with fish harvesting and processing accounting for 120% of all jobs. King salmon can grow to enormous proportions and have an interesting life cycle, hatching in fresh water and migrating to the ocean before returning to fresh water to spawn and die. Anglers use various techniques to catch them, but grizzly bears also enjoy knocking them out of the water.
The official state fish of Alaska is chinook salmon, also known as king salmon, spring salmon, and tule. Tyee, quinnat, and blackmouth are some of the other names given to Alaska’s state fish. The largest of all Pacific salmon, king salmon are important to both sport and commerce and are known to grow to enormous proportions. Alaskans spend many hours fishing and for many, fighting a king salmon is the best experience. It is a tough fish and can fight for several hours once hooked on the rod. This species of salmon can also carry the line to the bottom and stay there until the angler gives up or allows another person to try to reel it in.
Fishing is critical to coastal Alaska’s economy; Fish harvesting and processing is estimated to account for 120% of all jobs found in the entire state. Alaska state fish is prized for the flavor of its pink flesh, size, and fighting spirit. Some Native American tribes still celebrate the occasion of catching the first chinook of the season each year with a special ceremony. The largest king salmon ever caught is believed to exceed 54 pounds (about 1949 kilograms); was found in a fish trap in 97 near Petersburg Alaska. The official Alaska State Register records a catch of a salmon weighing 44 pounds (about 44 kilograms), caught in the Kenai River.
King salmon can be found in many areas of Alaska, covering the southeast panhandle up to the Yukon River. The best season to catch Alaskan state fish is from May to July. Alaskans, however, aren’t the only ones looking for it. Grizzly bears are big fans of Alaska’s state fish and enjoy knocking them out of the water when they swim upstream to spawn. The clarity of the river or stream water plays a large part in a fisherman’s ability to catch king salmon; rivers that run muddy with silt don’t offer enough visibility for successful fishing.
These fish have an interesting life cycle: they hatch in fresh water in gravel nests made by female salmon. The female may lay 3,000 to 14,000 eggs total on several nests until all of her eggs are released. Both male and female chinooks die after spawning, and the eggs hatch in winter or early spring. The minnows are called fry and grow in fresh water eating plankton and insects until, at two years of age, they move into the ocean. The smolt live in the ocean for some time and, as they mature, they begin preparing for the journey home.
Kings consume large quantities of squid, herring, and other fish in the year preceding their voyage to build up strength. They then migrate back to fresh water to spawn and die. The Alaska state fish is an extremely strong-willed fish and stops eating once it enters fresh water; for example, it strikes only when aggravated by a fisherman’s tackle or annoyed by some other fish. The maturation process for king salmon can take anywhere from two to seven years, so salmon caught in traps or on a line varies in size depending on their age. Anglers practice many techniques for catching king salmon, from baiting them with a hook to rigging the hook with seasoned salmon roe in an attempt to get them to return the roe to the nest.
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