Cherry Salmon Identification Guide

Key identification features

• Silvery body in the ocean phase, shifting to a reddish-pink to purplish hue during spawning, giving rise to the cherry name
• Distinctive dark, oval parr-like markings retained along the lateral line even in adults, unusual among Pacific salmon
• Small black spots scattered on the back and dorsal fin
• Relatively small size for a Pacific salmon, rarely exceeding about 20 inches
• Streamlined body with a moderately forked tail

Common look-alikes

• Masu salmon: the same species under an alternate common name; the freshwater-resident form, called yamame, stays smaller and never develops the silvery ocean coloration
• Sockeye salmon: develops a brighter, more uniform red spawning color but does not keep persistent oval parr marks as an adult
• Chum salmon: much larger, with faint purplish bars appearing at spawning but no retained parr marks

Where you'll see one

Cherry salmon spawn in cool, clear coastal rivers and streams of Japan, Korea, and the Russian Far East, making them the only Pacific salmon whose natural range does not reach North America.