: a commercially important Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) that is greenish blue above and silvery below when sexually immature and turns red with a greenish head when ascending rivers to spawn which it does chiefly from the Columbia northward
called also red salmon, sockeye
compare kokaneeExamples of sockeye salmon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
From June through October, the bears converge upon the Brooks River to take advantage of the annual sockeye salmon run.
—
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Oct. 2024
The park's bears have been gorging on Brooks River sockeye salmon throughout the summer in preparation for hibernation.
—Avery Lotz, Axios, 2 Oct. 2024
In July, Alaska wildlife officials shut down sockeye salmon fishing on the Chilkoot River because the numbers of returning fish were worryingly low.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2024
Washington is seeing a record-breaking sockeye salmon run this year despite a July heatwave that threatened a kill-off in the Okanogan River.
—Christine Clarridge, Axios, 17 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sockeye salmon 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Oct. 2024
The park's bears have been gorging on Brooks River sockeye salmon throughout the summer in preparation for hibernation.
—Avery Lotz, Axios, 2 Oct. 2024
In July, Alaska wildlife officials shut down sockeye salmon fishing on the Chilkoot River because the numbers of returning fish were worryingly low.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2024
Washington is seeing a record-breaking sockeye salmon run this year despite a July heatwave that threatened a kill-off in the Okanogan River.
—Christine Clarridge, Axios, 17 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sockeye salmon
Dictionary Entries Near sockeye salmon
Cite this Entry
“Sockeye salmon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sockeye%20salmon. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share