【Reading】ぎんざけ

【English Name】Coho Salmon

Ginzake (coho salmon) is a fish belonging to the genus Oncorhynchus of the family Salmonidae, also widely known by the alternative names coho salmon and silver salmon. In the natural environment it inhabits the coastal areas of the North Pacific broadly, with its habitat ranging from the Russian Far East to Alaska and the California coast, but it is known as a species that does not naturally ascend into Japanese rivers.

The silvery-white shine of its body surface is said to be the origin of its Japanese name, and small black spots are scattered from the dorsal side to the tail fin. Adults usually grow to about 50–65 cm, and large individuals can reach 1 m. Its suitable water temperature is around 9°C; above 18°C the risk of death increases, and in environments of 21°C or higher it can hardly survive.

Within Japan, marine aquaculture began in Shizugawa Bay, Miyagi Prefecture, in 1976. In 1991, when production reached its peak, it recorded about 27,000 tons, but due to competition with inexpensive Chilean products it shrank to about 10,000 tons per year. The aquaculture facilities suffered serious damage from the large-scale tsunami accompanying the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, but by around 2014 production had recovered to pre-disaster levels.

Thanks to a stable supply system through aquaculture, it maintains a relatively affordable price range, and taking advantage of its rich fattiness, it is beloved for a wide range of uses such as fillets, salt-cured salmon, and rice-ball fillings. As a sushi neta, with the expansion of salmon's popularity, opportunities to serve it have increased, centered on conveyor-belt sushi.