Common names: Sockeye salmon, red salmon

Identification: Bluish green with fine black speckling on dorsal side, silvery below; no large spots on back.

Range: Sacramento River system (California) to Bering Sea and northern Japan.

Season and Catch Methods: May through September from Southeast Alaska to Bristol Bay. Caught by seine, drift gillnet, set gillnet and trolling.

Size: Average 6 lbs, range 4 to 10 lbs.

Packaging: Fresh and frozen dressed/headed fish 50, 80, and 100 lb boxes. IQF and vacuum packed frozen fillets and steaks 5 to 10 lb cartons.

Product Forms:
Fresh: dressed; dressed/headed; fillets, skin-on or skinless, pin-bone in or boneless; steaks.
Frozen: dressed/headed; fillets, skin-on or skinless, pin-bone in or boneless; steaks.
Steaks and fillets typically graded: 4-, 6-, 8- 10- and 12- ounce portions. Dressed/headed salmon typically graded: 4-6 lbs, 6-9 lbs.
Canned:
Quarters (3.75 oz. net wt.)
Halves (7.5 oz. net wt.)
Talls (14.75 oz. net wt.)
41b. (64 oz. net wt.)

Nutritional Value
(3.5 oz (100 g) raw fillet):
Kcal: 168
Kcal from Fat: 75
Protein: 21g
Total Fat: 9g
Saturated Fat: 2g
Omega-3 Fat: 2g*
Cholesterol: 62mg
Sodium: 47mg
* - an average of several values, cited in References below

References:

Exler, J., and Wehrauch, J.L. 1976 Comprehensive Evaluation of Fatty Acids in Foods. VIII. Finfish J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 69:243 (*)

Feeley, R.M., Criner, P.E., and Watt, B.K. 1972 Cholesterol content of foods. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 61:134 (*)

Gordon, D.T., and Martin, R.E. 1982 Vitamins and Minerals in Seafoods of the Pacific Northwest. In: Chemistry and Biochemistry of Marine Food Products. Martin, R.E., Flick, G.J., et al., editors. AVI Publishing, Westport, CT. (*)

Sidwell, Virginia D. 1981 . Chemical and Nutritional Composition of Finfishes, Whales, Crustaceans, Mollusks and Their Products. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS F/SEC-ll. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service, Washington, DC. (*)

(*) — these publications were the sources of the data on Omega-3 content of sockeye salmon