A sockeye is a type of Pacific salmon.

What a sockeye is

  • Common name: sockeye salmon (also called red or blueback salmon).
  • Scientific name: Oncorhynchus nerka , one of the five major Pacific salmon species.

Key traits

  • Medium-size salmon, usually about 1.5–2.5 feet long and 4–15 pounds.
  • In the ocean, they are blue‑green on top with silver sides; during spawning they turn bright red with a green head.

How they live

  • Born in freshwater, migrate to the ocean to grow, then return to rivers and lakes to spawn once and die (anadromous life cycle).
  • A landlocked form, called kokanee, spends its entire life in freshwater but is still the same species.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.