Sockeye Salmon
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Sockeye salmon, also known as red salmon, are one of the most iconic fish of the Pacific Northwest, deeply intertwined with the region’s ecology, culture, and history. Born in freshwater rivers and lakes, they migrate to the ocean where they spend roughly two to five years feeding and maturing before returning with remarkable precision to their natal streams to spawn and die. This life cycle, a dramatic transformation from freshwater to saltwater and back again, has long symbolized renewal and endurance in Indigenous traditions. Their annual return once sustained both the ecosystems and the people of the Northwest Coast, from bears and eagles to First Nations communities who built their cultural and spiritual practices around the salmon’s rhythms. American and European settlers came in the late 19th century and promptly overfished the shit out of them. Though their numbers have declined due to overfishing, dams, and habitat loss, the sockeye remains a powerful emblem of the Pacific Northwest’s natural abundance and the fragile balance between human activity and the living waters that define the region. They also taste good, and it's hard to fuck up cooking them.