Seafood & Gourmet Products

Coho Salmon are found throughout the North Pacific Ocean and inhabit most coastal streams and rivers from Alaska to central California. They are most abundant from central Oregon to southeast Alaska. Coho salmon are anadromous, meaning they migrate from the ocean into fresh water to spawn. Young fish migrate back to the ocean and remain close to shore. As they grow, they move offshore. Some stocks of Coho Salmon may migrate more than 1,000 miles in the ocean, while other stocks remain in marine areas relatively close to their natal streams. Coho Salmon are known as Silver Salmon in Alaska. Average whole fish size is 6 to 12 pounds, although can reach just over 30. The flesh color of Coho Salmon is orange-red and is retained during cooking. The texture is firm and the fat content is high. The taste is a pleasing rich Salmon flavor, although delicate and slightly milder than that of the Sockeye. The size of a fillet is larger than that of the Sockeye, and it is a prized fish for cooking. Coho Salmon are a target species of commercial troll fisheries in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. They are also harvested in commercial seine and gillnet fisheries during the spawning season. Coho Salmon is one of the main Salmon species off the West Coast managed by the Pacific Fishery Management Council through the Salmon Fishery Management Plan. Management tools such as season length, quotas, and bag limits vary depending on how many Salmon are present each year. The Council must also comply with laws such as the Endangered Species Act. In Alaska, Coho Salmon is managed through the FMP for Salmon Fisheries in the EEZ off the Coast of Alaska. Management of the commercial troll Salmon fishery in Southeast Alaska is deferred to the State of Alaska. There is also the Pacific Salmon Commission, which was formed by the United States and Canada to implement a treaty signed to provide regulatory advice and recommendations to U.S. and Canadian management agencies that regulate Salmon fisheries. All Coho Salmon fisheries in Alaska and many in Canada are MSC certified as well.