Chinook salmon are also known as king salmon and may exceeding 100 pounds have on the Pacific coast. They have been introduced into a few spots on the east coast where max size is roughly half of those on the west coast.
This chinook salmon was caught in the lower Genesee River in Rochester, New York. Chinook salmon are Non-natives of the eastern USA. There is not enough suitable spawning and nursery grounds to produce enough fish; therefore, most of the salmon caught in New York State are hatchery-reared.
After spawning is completed the adult salmon die shortly thereafter.
Chinook salmon closely resemble coho salmon but there are two things to look for when trying to differentiate between the two. The coho salmon is differentiated from the chinook by having white gums around the teeth but a black tounge and spots on only the upper part of the caudal fin; whereas, the chinook salmon has spots across the entire length of the tails and they have all black mouths with black gums.