King salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) are a prized North Pacific food and sport fish of the family Salmonidae. Kings weigh up to 60 kg (130 pounds) and are silvery with round black spots. King salmon can grow up to 58 inches in length and weigh up to 130 pounds, but King salmon usually only grow to 36 inches in length, weighing in at up to 30 pounds.

Young King salmon do not enter the sea until they are one to three years old. They may spend between 1 and 8 years in the Pacific Ocean before returning to their natal streams to spawn. Spawning runs occur in the spring. The fish that spawn in the springtime are often referred to as Springs. Kings spawn in streams that are larger and deeper than those of other salmon. Most King salmon spawn from late summer to late fall, depending on the run. Fry and smolts usually stay in freshwater from 1 to 18 months before travelling downstream to estuaries, where they remain up to 189 days.