<P> Sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) , also called red salmon , kokanee salmon , or blueback salmon , is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it . This species is a Pacific salmon that is primarily red in hue during spawning . They can grow up to 84 cm ( 2 ft 9 in ) in length and weigh 2.3 to 7 kg ( 5.1 -- 15.4 lb ) . Juveniles remain in freshwater until they are ready to migrate to the ocean , over distances of up to 1,600 km ( 990 mi ) . Their diet consists primarily of zooplankton . Sockeye salmon are semelparous , dying after they spawn . Some populations , referred to as kokanee , do not migrate to the ocean and live their entire lives in freshwater . </P>
where does wild caught sockeye salmon come from
Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it