West Coast
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Chinook & Coho Life-Cycle
Chinook is the largest of the Pacific salmon. They show up in the Kyuquot area in mid-May and migrate through until mid-September. Called "Tyee" salmon at 30 lbs. or more. The age of Chinook adults returning to spawn varies from two to seven years. Three, four, and five year old salmon are most common on our rivers.
After hatching, Chinook remain in fresh water for varying lengths of time depending upon water temperature. In some areas salmon migrate after three months in fresh water, while other salmon may remain for up to a year. At full growth, Chinook vary between 5 to 30+ lbs. The world record for a Chinook (Tyee) salmon is 126.5 lbs.
The Coho come to Kyuquot in early June and keep growing in numbers and size until late August. Coho spawn in over half the 1500 streams in BC. After the salmon eggs have hatched in the gravel of stream beds the young coho spend one or two years growing or "rearing" in fresh water. Coho then migrate as "smolts" to the ocean where they spend up to 18 months in the sea before returning to their home streams to spawn.
While most coho return to fresh water as mature adults at three years of age, some mature earlier and migrate to their home streams as "jacks" at only two years of age. At full growth, Coho vary from 4 to 12-pounds, sometimes tipping the scales in the high 20s.