Scientific Name: Oncorhynchus kisutch, from the Greek roots onkos (hook), rynchos (nose) and kisutch, the common name in Siberia and Alaska.

Common Names: Silver salmon, hook nose salmon, blueback salmon, jack salmon, salmon trout, silverside salmon and white salmon.

Family: Salmonidae (salmon)

Description: The Coho salmon or the Silver Salmon is bluish-black with silver sides in saltwater; black spots on the back and upper part of the caudal fin. It is  smaller and slimmer than the Chinook salmon; the inside of the mouth is gray or black with white gums. Coho salmon reach up to 38.5 inches in length and weigh up to 31 pounds, although they usually weigh between 6 to 12 pounds. Next to Pinks the Coho has the most consisteTt life history of west coast salmon.

Range: Coho salmon spawn in coastal streams from Northern Japan to the Anadyr River in Siberia and from Monterey Bay in California and Point Hope in Alaska. This species can also be found in the ocean from Baja, California, to the Bering Sea in Alaska. Major U.S. spawning grounds are in Alaska, Washington and Oregon.

Habitat Type: Most Coho remain close although they have been found as far as a 1000 miles from the coast. Like the pink salmon, they prefer warm water, often moving south in the fall and winter months. Their first ocean year is spent feeding on sand lance, herring, insects, copepods, amphipods, crab larvae and euphausids. In the second year at sea, their growth rate increases due to heavy feeding on squid, herring, sand lance and large zooplankton, taking their weight from an average 3 pounds in March to 12 pounds  in the fall and winter when they return to their home streams to spawn.

Spawning Habits:

Adult Coho migrate up the rivers in September and October and spawn in late November and December. Coho salmon spawn in the same environment as Chinook salmon. They choose streams close to the ocean, although some journey as far as 400 miles (670 km) inland. Spawning occurs from November to January, with the eggs hatching the following spring. Coho fry remain in streams for over a year. Moving seaward the following spring, most Cohos return to spawn when they are three years old. The mature male fish which return after two years are known as "jacks" and in Oregon and Washington, the abundance of "jacks" are used to predict the next year's three year old return. Spawning males in fresh water may are  bright red on their sides, bright green on their back and head, with darker coloration on their belly.In contrast to other salmon most Coho fry stay in the stream for over a year feeding on aquatic insects, zooplankton and small fish. After living in the stream for a year, they drift down to the sea where they feed for 16 to 18 months. Their age at maturity is normally three years.

Primary Threats: Like the Chum the climate change, spawning grounds conditions and fresh water habitat are very important for Coho.  Coho salmon. Migrating Coho salmon also face physical obstacles and high water temperatures resulting from dams, inadequate water flows due to diversions for irrigation and impoundment of water for power generation. Once reaching the estuaries, Coho salmon fall prey to a number of other species and may be impacted by human changes, such as shoreline development, residential drainage and the filling of marine wetlands. The time spent in this habitat is critical to the development of the species and their ability to survive in the offshore environment.

Economic Value: The fourth most abundant salmon species, Coho salmon is a culturally and economically important resource, and an important subsistence fish. Coho salmon is commercially fished from Northern California north to Norton Sound in Alaska; 75% of the total U.S. catch comes from Alaska