General information 

This is the largest of five species of the group collectively known as Pacific salmon. 

It has silvery sides, a dark green to blackish back and many little black specks on the caudal fin. Pacific salmon is anadromous, meaning it swims upriver to spawn. It is found in more than 150 waterways of western Canada. 

When captured, the salmon usually weighs between 4.5 and 22.5 kg. 

Main fishing season: March to October. It is fished with dragnets, seine nets and gill nets. 

Commercial uses: fresh, frozen or smoked 

Salmon and the Haida 

In the spring and summer, Haida communities on the Canadian west coast get ready to prepare the salmon, though it's in May that the elders head out to look for red salmon on the Yakoun River and Copper Bay.

The season's harvest is dried, frozen, smoked or canned and eaten throughout the year.