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Kokanee Salmon
Oncorhynchus nerka

Kokanee are sockeye salmon that spend their whole lives in fresh water. Both are very popular and valuable game fish.

What does the Kokanee salmon look like? Except for their much smaller size, kokanee are similar in most aspects to the sea-run sockeye salmon. They are usually about .5 to 1 kg in size with an obvious hooked nose (the Latin name "oncorhynchus" means "hooked nose"). They are probably best known for their spawning colours - the backs of both male and female turn bright red, like a cooked lobster, with green heads. During the spawn, the bottom of a stream full of Kokanee may appear to be almost solid red and green, an unforgettable sight.

Where do the Kokanee live?

Kokanee are found in lakes throughout Alaska, the Yukon, BC, and Washington. Where they can migrate to the ocean, they are known as sockeye salmon, and where they live their entire lives in lakes, they are known as kokanee.

What is the Kokanee life cycle?

Most Kokanee live about four years, but some can live as long as eight years. Once they spawn, they die. These fish spawn from August to November, and they prefer to spawn in streams, but in some cases will spawn along the shores of lakes. The female digs redds or nests with her tail, and deposits hundreds of eggs. She may build several nests, and guard them until she dies. The eggs hatch in spring.

Food for Thought… Kokanee populations have been declining for years in some areas. In Okanagan Lake, one variety of Kokanee spawns right on the beach. What hazards might be faced by a fish that spawns on the beach?

Did you know that … each Kokanee population has evolved independently from a sockeye salmon run that got cut off from its ocean run.