: 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
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Salmon also plays a massive role in this very special week, as Katmai National Park boasts one of the world's healthiest sockeye salmon runs.
—
Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025
In the picture, a large brown bear stands at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park and Preserve as a sockeye salmon, attempting to make its way over the rapids, lands in the predator’s powerful jaws.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2025
This time of year, these apex predators are packing on the pounds by feasting on calorie-rich sockeye salmon at Brooks Falls.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 25 Sep. 2025
Katmai is known for its iconic brown bears, but their health is intrinsically tied to another species: sockeye salmon.
—Eve Chen, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sockeye salmon
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Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025
In the picture, a large brown bear stands at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park and Preserve as a sockeye salmon, attempting to make its way over the rapids, lands in the predator’s powerful jaws.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2025
This time of year, these apex predators are packing on the pounds by feasting on calorie-rich sockeye salmon at Brooks Falls.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 25 Sep. 2025
Katmai is known for its iconic brown bears, but their health is intrinsically tied to another species: sockeye salmon.
—Eve Chen, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sockeye salmon
Cite this Entry
“Sockeye salmon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sockeye%20salmon. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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