New Zealand Introduced Animals > Quinnat Salmon

Quinnat Salmon

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

INTRODUCED; COMMON; RESIDENT

DISTRIBUTION: Introduced to New Zealand in the late 1800’s it is now well established in several major rivers along the east coast of the South Island, from the Waiau south to the Clutha, and a few rivers in south Westland. The quinnats native home extends from the Yukon River in Canada, south to the Sacremento River in California and west across the Pacific Ocean to central China.

HABITAT: This species evolved to exploit the foaming, glacier fed torrents that were a feature of the artic regions throughout the ice ages so prefer rivers that are high in dissolved oxygen.

BREEDING: Breeding salmon return from the sea in march. They stop feeding and begin their migration upstream to the spawning grounds, this can take them up to a month. The female lays her eggs into a ‘scrape’ in a gravel stream bed, where the male fertilizes them. She then covers them with gravel. Both parents then die within a day or two, and the eggs hatch about 60-200 days later.

FOOD: Carnivores, feeding mainly on other fish.

GENERAL: They are the largest of all salmon in New Zealand waters, averaging at about 8kg. They are mainly silver while at sea, but flush bright pink when traveling upstream to spawn. Quinnat salmon have a remarkable homing ability and can make their way back to the very gravel bank where they were hatched.


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