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Spending its entire life in freshwater, Utah's only salmon, the kokanee salmon, is a landlocked form of the sockeye salmon. Kokanee salmon are a popular nonnative game fish in Utah and have been introduced into several other water bodies in the state, most notably Strawberry and Flaming Gorge.
Kokanee are silvery-blue for most of their lives, but turn a bright red color in the fall of their last year, prior to spawning. Kokanee spawn over gravel beds, and they will often dig pits (called redds) to lay their eggs. Much like sockeye salmon, each kokanee salmon returns to the area of its birth to spawn. Kokanee live for three to four years and die after spawning is complete.
The DWR will once again host their annual kokanee day viewing up at Strawberry on September 19th at the Strawberry Reservoir Visitor's Center. Here you'll have a chance to see these fluorescent red fish and even get a chance to touch them.
