pink salmon

American  

noun

1. a small Pacific salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, distinguished by its small scales and long anal fin and by the bright red spawning coloration of males, occurring from California to Alaska and in waters of Japan: fished commercially and for sport.

---

pink salmon British  

noun

1. any salmon having pale pink flesh, esp Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, of the Pacific Ocean

2. the flesh of such a fish

---

Etymology

Origin of pink salmon

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pink salmon

The team's findings, published in Ecology & Evolution, showed that anisakid levels increased in chum and pink salmon between 1979 and 2021.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 1, 2026

Chum and sockeye salmon have been the most frequently caught salmon species, followed by pink salmon.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2024

The rising numbers of worms in chum and pink salmon could reflect the fact that those species tend to live near shore as juveniles, closer to marine mammals that perpetuate the parasites’ life cycle.

From Science Magazine ● May 7, 2024

The 2023 fishing season might hasten reef netting’s return because pink salmon will be running.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 6, 2023

There are endless varieties of useful reds, from pink, salmon, orange, and scarlet, to blood-red and deep purple-red, obtained by different dyes and by different processes of dyeing.

From Arts and Crafts Essays by Members of the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society by Various