Danita Delimont via Getty Images Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchusnerka) also called red salmon or blueback salmon in the United States is an anadromousspecies of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it. This species is a Pacific salmon that is primarily red in hue during spawning. They can be up to 84 cm in length and weigh anywhere from 2.3 to 7 kg.