Sockeye Salmon
P-008-| Freshwater Collection
Why I Chose This Fish
I've always been fascinated by the Sockeye Salmon and the incredible journey they make. Their colors are so vivid. While visiting Alaska, I had the chance to see them firsthand on the Kenai Peninsula, walking through a shallow river as they fought their way upstream. Watching them push against the current toward the end of their lives gave me a completely different appreciation for these fish, and I wanted to capture a little of that experience in this piece.
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Habitat: Cold freshwater lakes, rivers, and streams during their freshwater life stages; open ocean waters during their marine stage
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Range: North Pacific Ocean and surrounding freshwater systems, particularly Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and parts of Russia and Japan
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Typical size: About 18–24 inches; can reach around 30 inches and 15 pounds
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Diet: Zooplankton, small crustaceans, insects, and other small aquatic organisms; primarily plankton while in the ocean
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Known for: Their dramatic transformation from silver with a greenish-blue back in the ocean to brilliant red with a greenish head during spawning, their remarkable upstream migrations, and their importance to freshwater ecosystems
