Coho Salmon

Oncorhynchus kisutch

Illustration of Coho salmon by Tom Crestodina

Wild-Caught

Gear

Gillnet

Purse Seine

Troll

Location(s)

Coho salmon, also called silver salmon, range from Alaska to central California. Like other species of Pacific salmon, coho spend the first stage of their lives in freshwater rivers and streams before migrating to the Pacific Ocean. Coho salmon that survive to adulthood usually weigh anywhere from eight to 12 pounds and are 24 to 30 inches long. At their largest, coho salmon can weigh as much as 35 pounds and grow to two feet long. In the ocean, coho salmon are blue-green with metallic silver sides. They prey upon small fish such as herring, sardines, and anchovies, as well as juvenile salmon of other species. Coho salmon will return to the stream that they were born in to spawn the next generation of fish at about three years old. When they reenter freshwater, males develop hooked snouts and large teeth.

Pacific salmon species occupy a unique niche in both ecological and cultural landscapes. Indigenous nations along the West Coast historically subsisted on salmon, and some present-day Indigenous peoples celebrate the significance of the species in First Salmon ceremonies. Coho salmon remains an economically and culturally important resource for West Coast Indigenous nations.

Overall availability

Coho salmon is fished in Oregon and Washington. It is available fresh seasonally, with the peak harvest occurring in the summer months, and available year-round canned, smoked, or frozen. Caviar can also be made from salmon roe.

activity wheel for coho salmon that depicts monthly activity levels (peak, low, closed)

Management

Coho salmon are fished in Washington and Oregon using troll, gillnets and purse seine gear. Management of salmon fisheries is highly cooperative between NOAA Fisheries, The Pacific Fishery Management Council, Pacific Salmon Commission, and state Departments of Fish and Wildlife (WA, OR). In Washington, coastal, Puget Sound, and Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor Coho salmon fisheries are co-managed between the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Treaty Tribes, which are represented by the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission and the Columbia River Intertribal Fisheries Commission.