| a large salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, found in the northern Pacific Ocean. |
| Chinook salmon n. A very large, commercially valuable salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) of northern Pacific waters, characterized by irregular black spots on its back. Also called king salmon, quinnat salmon. |
chinook salmon
(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) prized North Pacific food and sport fish of the family Salmonidae. It weighs about 10 kg (22 pounds) to twice that and is silvery with round black spots. Spawning runs occur in spring, adults swimming as far as 3,200 km (2,000 miles) up the Yukon. Young king salmon do not enter the sea until they are one to three years old. The king salmon was introduced into Lake Michigan of the U.S. Great Lakes with conspicuous success, creating a new sport fishery there after the virtual elimination of lake trout by sea lampreys.
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