The Alaska Live Salmon at The Imaginarium!

Sponsored By The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute

Come watch our king and silver salmon grow! Find out the differences between the Chinook (king) the largest of Alaska's salmon and the Coho (silver), Alaska's second largest salmon. Learn their scientific names, about where they eat, where they live and their unique characteristics. Test your Alaska salmon knowledge by taking our salmon quiz! The Imaginarium's king and silver salmon are from the Fort Richardson State Fish Hatchery located near Anchorage on the banks of Ship Creek.

anadromous
Salmon are anadromous, which means they spawn in fresh water streams where the eggs hatch. The young salmon stay in the streams for 1-3 years to grow strong enough to make the journey to the open oceans. There they mature which takes 1-7 years. Then they come back to the same stream in which they were born to spawn like their parents before them did. While other fishes can spawn many times, the salmon can spawn only once then it dies shortly after. They don’t eat during their migrations. Instead they put all their energy and focus into spawning, so their condition deteriorates gradually.

Salmon Coloring Book (15 pg Adobe pdf)