Sockeye Salmon (Protected)

Sockeye Salmon (Protected)

Oncorhynchus nerka

Side-profile illustration of a silvery sockeye salmon fish with black speckles on its back. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Jack Hornady

Protected Status

ESA Endangered
Snake River ESU
ESA Threatened
Ozette Lake ESU

Quick Facts

Weight
Average 8 pounds
Length
Up to 3 feet
Lifespan
About 5 years
Threats
Commercial and recreational fishing, Climate change, Habitat degradation, Habitat impediments (dams), Habitat loss
Region
West Coast
Close up of three sockeye salmon resting above rocks. Sockeye salmon. Credit: NOAA Fisheries

Sockeye salmon. Credit: NOAA Fisheries

About the Species

Sockeye salmon are anadromous fish, which means they can live in both fresh and saltwater. They have a relatively complex life history that includes spawning and juvenile rearing in rivers followed by migrating to saltwater to feed, grow, and mature before returning to freshwater to spawn. Sockeye salmon are vulnerable to many stressors and threats including blocked access to spawning grounds and habitat degradation caused by dams and culverts. One evolutionary significant unit is listed as endangered and one ESU is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

NOAA Fisheries is committed to conserving and protecting sockeye salmon. Our scientists and partners use a variety of innovative techniques to study, learn more about, and protect this species. 

Learn more about sockeye salmon

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Osteichthyes
Order Salmoniformes
Family Salmonidae
Genus Oncorhynchus
Species nerka

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 12/22/2023

Featured News

3d map of Alaska 3D render and imaging of topographic map of Alaska showing the Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea. Satellite images courtesy of NASA. Credit: Frank Ramspott
Feature Story

A Few Surprises in Alaska’s Marine Environment in 2024

Alaska
Photo of a chum salmon swimming upstream to spawn in Washington. Chum salmon swimming upstream to spawn in Washington. Credit: iStock
Feature Story

Secretary of Commerce Determines Fishery Resource Disasters for the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s 2020 Salmon Fisheries

West Coast
Group of singers and dancers performing Tulalip tribal youth singers and dancers kicked off the celebration of new federal funding for tribal fish hatcheries.
Feature Story

Federal and Tribal Leaders Celebrate $240 Million for Tribal Hatchery Modernization

West Coast
Scientist using lab equipment Bryan Cormack, fisheries biologist at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, uses a multi-channel pipette for streamlined high-throughput processing using the sulfo-phospho-vanillin (SPV) assay. He processed more than 2,700 SPV samples this past year. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Cody Pinger.
Feature Story

Scientists Improve the Way They Measure Fish Fat to Accelerate Understanding of Fish Population Health

Alaska
View More News

Management Overview

One evolutionary significant unit of sockeye salmon is listed as endangered and one ESU is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.  

Regulatory History

The threatened and endangered ESUs of sockeye salmon were listed under the ESA on June 28, 2005. We had previously listed the Snake River ESU and Ozette Lake ESU in 1991 and 1999, but we reaffirmed the listings in 2005.

We designated critical habitat for the Snake River ESU on December 28, 1993 and for the Ozette Lake ESU on September 2, 2005.

Learn more about regulatory history for sockeye salmon

Key Actions and Documents

Actions & Documents

Oregon Resident Trout and Coho Fishery Plan for the Grande Ronde, Imnaha, and Snake Rivers

NOAA Fisheries is providing one Fishery Management and Evaluation Plan (FMEP) for recreational coho salmon and resident trout fisheries in the Snake River Basin for public comment. The FMEP was submitted by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife …
Notice
,
West Coast
Published

Draft Environmental Assessment and Hatchery Plans for Salmon and Steelhead Hatchery Programs in the Snake River Basin

Notice is hereby given that NOAA Fisheries has received 16 plans for hatchery programs rearing and releasing Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and summer steelhead in the Snake River basin. The plans describe hatchery programs operated by the Idaho…
Notice
,
West Coast
Published

Notice of Availability of a State Plan and Analysis of a Tribal Plan for Fisheries Targeting Steelhead in the Snake River Basin

Notice is hereby given that the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has provided a Fishery Management and Evaluation Plan (FMEP), and the Nez Perce Tribe has provided a Tribal Resource Management Plan (TRMP), pursuant to the protective…
Notice
,
West Coast
Published

Designation of Critical Habitat for 12 Evolutionarily Significant Units of West Coast Salmon and Steelhead in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho (2005)

NOAA Fisheries issued a final rule designating critical habitat for 12 Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs) of West Coast salmon (chum, Oncorhynchus keta; sockeye, O. nerka; chinook, O. tshawytscha) and steelhead (O. mykiss) listed as of the date of…
Final Rule
,
West Coast
Published

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 12/22/2023

Science Overview

Image
Five salmon species on a table with a ruler arranged from smallest to largest (pink, chum, sockeye, chinook, and coho)
Juveniles of the five Pacific salmon species.

NOAA Fisheries conducts various research activities on the biology, behavior, and ecology of sockeye salmon. The results of this research are used to inform management decisions for this species.

Dive Deeper Into Our Research

Our work to forecast salmon harvests, assess the impact of commercial fisheries on salmon, and evaluate how salmon populations respond to environmental changes enable us to estimate abundance and trends for sockeye salmon in Alaska.

Salmon research in Alaska

Sockeye Salmon Research in the Pacific Northwest

Our research on Pacific salmon covers several topics including bycatch, salmon harvest forecasts, ecotoxicology, genetics, marine survival, and responses to climate change. 

More on sockeye salmon research in the Pacific Northwest

Research & Data

Salmon and Steelhead Recovery Domains

Endangered Species Act (ESA) recovery domain boundaries for West Coast salmon and steelhead.
August 09, 2024 - Map ,
West Coast

Frequent Questions—Snow Crab and Salmon Declines in Alaska

NOAA Fisheries answers questions about what is behind the declines in snow crab and salmon and how we are addressing them.
Alaska

Critical Habitat - Maps and GIS Data (West Coast Region)

Maps and GIS data for black abalone, bocaccio, Chinook salmon, chum salmon, coho salmon, eulachon, green sturgeon, humpback whale, killer whale, leatherback turtle, sockeye salmon, steelhead trout, Steller sea lion, and yelloweye rockfish.
December 03, 2021 - Map ,
West Coast

Story Map - 2019 Second Year of Record Low Sea Ice in the Bering Sea

Ecosystem Check-In
January 26, 2021 - Assessments ,
Alaska
View More

Recent Science Blogs

View More

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 12/22/2023

Documents

Document

Cook Inlet Small Entity Compliance Guide

The Small Entity Compliance Guide (select "View Document" below) contains a summary of regulations…

Alaska
Document

2022 5-year Review: Summary & Evaluation of Ozette Lake Sockeye Salmon

Five-year reviews describe whether recovery is on track in the context of the recovery plan,…

West Coast
Document

2022 5-Year Review: Summary & Evaluation of Snake River Sockeye Salmon

Five-year reviews describe whether recovery is on track in the context of the recovery plan,…

West Coast
More Documents

Data & Maps

More Data
More Maps

Research

Frequent Questions—Snow Crab and Salmon Declines in Alaska

NOAA Fisheries answers questions about what is behind the declines in snow crab and salmon and how we are addressing them.

Alaska

Bristol Bay Oral History Study

Using oral history methods, scientists explore the lived experiences of women engaged in salmon set net fishing, and how their connections to Alaska's Bristol Bay and a subsistence way of life is critical to food security and cultural identity.

Alaska

Alaska Research On Salmon Ecology And Bycatch

Scientists at our Auke Bay Laboratories conduct research to understand ecological processes that drive salmon populations in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea. They also monitor and analyze bycatch of salmon in other commercial fisheries for groundfish.

Alaska

Genetics Research at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center

We conduct a variety of genetic research on Pacific salmon, groundfish, and forage fish species to comply with regional, national, and international agreements and treaties for managing marine resources.

Alaska
More Research

Outreach & Education

Educational Materials

¡Cuento con usted! edición salmón (en español)

Aprenda a administrar el salmón responsablemente.

West Coast
Educational Materials

I'm Counting on You! Salmon Brochure About Issues Affecting Salmon and How You Can Help

Learn about the threats facing salmon and what you can do to help.

West Coast
Educational Materials

Salmonid Savers – Word Puzzles, Mazes, and Games About Saving Salmon and Steelhead

Through comics, word puzzles, and mazes, kids learn about the importance of salmonids (e.g., salmon…

West Coast
Educational Materials

Protectores de Salmónidos (en español)

A través de los cómics, los juegos de palabras, y los laberintos, los niños aprenden sobre la…

West Coast
More Outreach Materials
More Educational Materials

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 12/22/2023