Great Land of Alaska - Aquatic Life

Salmon

A male Silver (Oncorhynchus kisutch) (center) and female Pink (O. gorbuscha) (upper left) in Potter Marsh.

Pink Salmon

A male Pink guards his territory. The side view clearly shows why this specie is also called Humpback or Humpie.

Red Salmon

You can easily see how the Red Salmon (O. nerka) gets its name. Like most salmon, they are normally a silverish color, but their color changes dramatically when they near the spawning grounds.

Salmon

A school of young salmon.

Silver Salmon

A few Silver Salmon (O. kisutch) in a small creek. Their reddish color and white spots show these fish are spawned out and no longer edible.

Dead King Salmon

O. tshawytscha. This is the ultimate fate of salmon lucky enough to escape fishermen's lures. All Pacific Salmon (except Rainbow Trout) die after spawning. This fish was huge - it must have been about 5 feet (1.5 meters) long.

Sea Amemone

One of the many species of sea anemone (specie unknown to me) found in Alaskan waters.

Fish

A couple of fish (species unknown to me, but I'm pretty sure one is a type of rockfish) found in Alaskan waters.

Arctic Char

The Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) is a close relative to salmon and trout and is an important fish in Alaska for both subsistence and sport fishing.

Arctic Grayling

The Arctic Grayling (Thymallus arcticus) is the most attractive of Alaska's fresh water fish. These are in an aquarium at the Sea Life Center, their colors are much more vibrant when seen in real sun light. The brown fish with light spots at the bottom is an Arctic Char.

Pacific Halibut

A small Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis). An odd-looking bottom dwellar, it lays on its left side and has both eyes on its right.

Sculpins

A few of the many types of saltwater sculpins found in Alaskan waters.

King Crab

King crab, an Alaskan seafood delicacy.

Shrimp

A large Alaskan shrimp.

Harbor Seal

A harbor seal frolicking about its tank at the Alaska Sea Life Center.

Sea Lion

These Sea Lions are from around the Seward area. The first one was catching fish in Seward's small boat harbor and bringing them to the surface to eat them. The second picture shows a group of them sunning themselves a few miles away on the other side of the bay. The third picture shows the sea lion at the Alaska Sea Life Center.

Sea Otters

The two objects in the water area a couple sea otters that were swimming near the shores of Resurrection Bay.