Trout and Seasons of The Mountain Village in Japan

Salmon
Pictures data: Ink and Water Color Size: 182mm128mm (7.2in5.0in)

			Chum salmon (Dog salmon) Oncorhynchus keta They inhabit north of Tonegawa river in the Pacific Ocean side and north of Nakagawa river in Kyusyu in the Japan sea. The northen Pacific Ocean from California to the east Korean Peninsula and a part of the Arctic Ocean are their home. They are 22 or 40 inches long. They are the most familiar salmons in Japan, called Akiaji, Ohsuke, Shiro and Tokishirazu.
Pink salmon (Humpback salmon) Oncorhynchus gorbuscha The area from Northern Japan to Nothern Californiain the Pacific Ocean is their home. They are 16 or 28 inches long. The probability of returning to their mother river is lower than that of another salmons. Japanese name is Karafuto masu, also Seppari masu.
			Kokanee Oncorhynchus nerka nerka They are landlocked form of Sockeye salmons. Lake Akan, Lake Chimikeppu are their homes in Japan. There are many lakes where wild Kokanees live in North America. They are 8 or 12 inches long. They were moved to Lake Shikotsu from Lake Akan in 1894, after that to Lake Towada, Lake Chuzenji, Ashino-ko and so on. Japanese name is Hime masu.
Sockeye salmon (Red salmon) Oncorhynchus nerka nerka North of 40 degrees latitude in the North Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea, and the Sea of Okhotsk is their home. They are 24 or 28 inches long. There must be a lake in the river basin to go upstream for them. There are no rivers in Japan where they naturally migrate upstream. Japanese name is Beni sake.
			Coho salmon (Silver salmon) Oncorhynchus kisutch The area from the Far Eastern Russia to Nothern California in the north Pacific Ocian is their home. They are few species in Japan. They are 24 or 28 inches long. They are raised in Miyagi, Iwate, Aomori and Hokkaido. Japanese name is Gin sake.
Chinook salmon (King salmon) Oncorhynchus tshawytscha They slightly go upstream in Hokkaido. Amur region, to Nothern California side of the north Pacific Ocean are their home. They are 40 inches long or more. They are the biggest fish of salmons. They are well known as King salmon for anglers. Japanese name is Masunosuke.
			Atlantic salmon Salmo salar They are found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic. Originally, "Salmon" in English is "Atlantic salmon". They are comparatively big size in the family Salmonidae. The length is 90-110cm (There is the one that reaches 120cm in the length, 40kg.) "Salar the Salmon" written by Henry Willamson is well known.
Salmon fishing was begun on the east coast of Hokkaido from 1987. We can't fish salmons fishing at rivers in Hokkaido for all prohibition of fishing, but we can fish under the pretext of "Capture for Survey" in Churuigawa river, Hamamasu-gawa river, etc. Recently, the salmon can fish in some rivers of the Mainland as well as Hokkaido.