Pink Salmon

How a Pink Salmon Travels from the Wild to your Dinner Plate

For millions of people around the world, salmon has become a regular part of their dinner routine. Environmentally conscious chefs have increasingly turned to wild-caught salmon for its superior flavor and nutritive qualities. While aquaculture has provided us with an abundance of farmed salmon, the delicate flavor of wild-caught pink salmon continues to stand out. To understand how a pink salmon makes its way from the wild to your dinner plate, it’s important to look at the entire life cycle of the fish.

Life in the Wild

To start, let’s look at the salmon’s life in the wild. The pink salmon, or Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, is an anadromous fish species, meaning that it is born in freshwater but migrates to the ocean as an adult. In the wild, the fish live in schools or in solitary form, typically in deep ocean waters. Unlike other salmon species, the pink salmon has a short life cycle that only lasts two years; the majority of salmon species live up to four or five years.

Spawning

Spawning is the most important life cycle event of the pink salmon. This annual event begins when the female fish returns from the sea to her freshwater natal stream, where she begins to dig a redd (or nest) for her eggs. During spawning, the female pink salmon releases 10,000 to 15,000 eggs. All of the fertilized eggs remain in the stream where they can rest as the female salmon returns to the ocean.

The eggs need to be in cool, clear water if they are to survive and hatch. They must be surrounded by clean sediment that can provide oxygen to the developing embryos and that won’t cover the eggs and suffocate them. The water temperature must also be below about 10 degrees Celsius. These ideal conditions typically exist in the late spring or early summer.

Hatchling Stage

After two to four weeks, the eggs will hatch and the fry will emerge. The young fish, or alevins, are completely dependent on their yolk sacs for nutrition and hide beneath the surface of the water. The fry will remain in the stream for the next 10 to 12 weeks, during which time they feed on plankton, insects, and other small aquatic prey. Depending on the resources available in the stream, some salmon may start to move downstream as soon as two weeks after hatching.

Smoltification Stage

By the fall, the fry (or alevins) will have reached a size of roughly 3-4 cm and will begin to undergo smoltification. During this process, the fish will become acclimatized to the saltwater, maturation will begin in thesex organs, and they will change color. The pink salmon fry will change from silver to a pale pink to a deep, dark blue, giving them their distinctive name.

The majority of salmon fry will leave the stream around this time and head out to sea. During the open ocean stage, the pink salmon will slowly grow in size and strength. By the time they reach maturity, the salmon may be up to 60 cm in length and can weigh up to 6kg without excessive fat. Adult salmon typically return to the stream to spawn after one or two years, completing the life cycle of the species.

Fishing

Now that we’ve looked at the life cycle of the pink salmon, let’s move on to the fishing process. As mentioned previously, the most popular method for catching wild-caught salmon is trolling. Trolling involves using a line with several lures attached to the hook, and trolling it behind the boat in the water. This technique is used to attract salmon that are in the fish’s migration path—they can be caught in both shallow and deep waters.

Processing

Once the salmon has been caught, it will be processed in a variety of ways. There are two main types of processing—wet or dry. Wet processing, also known as brining, involves soaking the salmon in a solution of water and salt. This helps to preserve the fish and prevents it from spoiling. Dry processing involves first cleaning and gutting the fish and then drying it. This method preserves the fish in a leaner form and decreases bacterial growth. Both methods are widely used to process pink salmon.

Packaging and Storage

Once the salmon has been processed, it will be packed for shipping. It must stay cold in order to preserve its freshness, so any packaging must be insulated and well-sealed. Additionally, shrimp and other shellfish should be stored separate from the salmon to prevent cross-contamination. In some cases, the fish is frozen and sent directly to the seller or restaurant.

The last step in salmon’s journey to your plate is storage. Salmon should always be kept in the refrigerator or in a cold environment. Since salmon is a high-fat fish, it can quickly spoil if not stored properly. It should also be consumed within 3 to 5 days of purchase.

From the Ocean to your Plate

As you can see, there is a lot that goes into the process of getting salmon from the wild to the dinner table. From the time it is spawned in the natal stream to when it arrives at the grocery store, the pink salmon has experienced a long and complicated journey. But, thanks to the hard work of fishermen, processors, and distributors, millions of people can enjoy delicious, nutritious, and sustainable wild-caught salmon.