About Salmon

King salmon, Oncorhynchus tshowytscha: The king salmon is the largest of all salmon species. They are found in the ocean from Alaska to southern Cafifornia, and are abundant from Monterey northward. In some years, there is a small commercial fishery for them as far south as Avila, San Luis Obispo County, and there has been some good salmon sportsfishing as far south as Port Hueneme. The average size of a mature fish is about 20 pounds, but some grow considerably larger and weights up to 126 pounds have been recorded. Numbers of males mature precociously at 2 years and weigh aboat 3 pounds, these are grilse or jacks. King salmon spawn in the larger streams from San Francisco Bay northward however, the major part of the California catch is produced in the Sacramento River and its tributaries.