COHO SALMON:
The Coho salmon show up in Port Hardy in early July and keep growing in numbers and size until late September or early October. Coho salmon spawn in over half the 1500 streams in British Columbia for which records are available.
After the salmon eggs have hatched in the gravel of stream beds the young Coho salmon spend one or two years growing or "rearing" in fresh water. Coho salmon then migrate as "smolts" to the ocean where they spend up to 18 months in the sea before returning to their home streams to spawn. While most Coho salmon return to fresh water as mature adults at three years of age, some mature earlier and migrate to their home streams as "jacks" at only two years of age. At full growth, Coho salmon vary from four to 12 pounds, sometimes tipping the scales in the high 20's.
SOCKEYE SALMON:
The Sockeye Salmon start showing up in Port Hardy in early July and are usually around for a few weeks. The Sockeye Salmon was the first of the five species of Pacific salmon to be fished commercially in this region.
Most sockeye salmon spawn in late summer or fall in streams that drain into lakes. Young Sockeye salmon may remain in their fresh water nursery lakes for more than one year, some waiting for the second or even third year to make their seaward migration. Sockeye salmon return to their home streams to spawn as four or five year-old fish after two or three years at sea. At full growth, Sockeye salmon average 6 to 7 pounds, even though fish over 10 pounds are landed frequently.
CHUM SALMON:
The Chum Salmon show up in the Port Hardy area mid to late summer and are usually around for a few weeks. Chum salmon spawn in more than 880 streams in British Columbia. In short coastal streams, chum salmon emerge from gravel spawning beds in the spring as "fry" and move directly to the sea. Most chum salmon spend two or three summers at sea before returning to their home streams to spawn. At full growth , chum salmon average eight pounds in weight but can grow up to 33 pounds.
PINK SALMON:
The Pink Salmon show up in Port Hardy in early to mid-July and migrate through the area until late August. Pink Salmon have a fixed two-year life span. Young Pink Salmon migrate to the ocean soon after emerging from the gravel spawning beds and return to the same streams after about eighteen months at sea. In many areas of British Columbia, Pink Salmon are abundant in both even and odd years. At full growth, Pink Salmon vary between three to five pounds, even though some have been weighed in over 10 pounds at the Port Hardy dock.
Click here for a description of the types of Bottomfish also found in the Port Hardy area. Visit our Photo Gallery for more fish images of the different varieties of fish.
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