Also known as: Silver, Hooknose (salmon)

Male Cohos have huge kypes (the hooked jawtips) in their spawning phase, giving them a rather striking appearance. As fry they will remain in freshwater for about 1-4 years, however they only spend a limited time at sea: 6 months to 1.5 years at most. In their ocean phase they are a particularly bright silver, giving them their ‘silver’ nickname. Like Chinook they have an almost fully silver tail and black spots on their back, which may cause confusion. The Chinook’s black mouth and fully spotted tail (instead of a Coho’s which is only spotted on the upper half) usually are enough to separate the two, but some Cohos will share these characteristics. The only way to be totally sure is to stroke their tail: Cohos have noticeable ridges on their tail fin, while a Chinook’s is silky smooth. Together with Chum and Chinook they are among the larger Pacific salmon. The very biggest can reach up to 42.5 inch (108 cm) and 36 pounds (16 kg), but more common are lengths in the 20-30 inch (50-75 cm) range.