---
title: "Rode zalm"
description: "Oncorhynchus nerka — Vissen. The sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), also called red salmon, kokanee salmon, blueback salmon, or simply sockeye, is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/sockeye-salmon
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Rode zalm

> Oncorhynchus nerka — Vissen. The sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), also called red salmon, kokanee salmon, blueback salmon, or simply sockeye, is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it.

- Scientific name: *Oncorhynchus nerka*
- Category: `fish` (Vissen)
- Habitats: `freshwater` (Meren en rivieren), `sea` (Zee en kust)
- iNaturalist observations: 3468
- Wikidata: [Q44064](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44064)
- iNaturalist taxon: [69922](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/69922)

## Names

- en: Sockeye Salmon
- de: Rotlachs
- es: Salmón Rojo
- fr: Saumon rouge
- it: Salmone rosso
- nl: Rode zalm
- pl: Nerka

## Countries with the most observations

US (2112), CA (1121), RU (30), NZ (19), JP (11)

## Summary

The sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), also called red salmon, kokanee salmon, blueback salmon, or simply sockeye, 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 (5–15 lb). Juveniles remain in freshwater until they are ready to migrate to the ocean, over distances of up to 1,600 km (1,000 mi). Their diet consists primarily of zooplankton. Sockeye salmon are semelparous, dying after they spawn. Some populations…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sockeye_salmon

## Photo

![Rode zalm](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/sockeye-salmon/medium.jpg)

Photo: Richard Fuller · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/50758058

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/sockeye-salmon?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).