Tissue Carotenoids in Prespawning and Spawning Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

Spawning sockeye salmon from the Wauk Wash River, B.C., contained 65% less carotenoid than prespawning fish taken at sea near Juneau, Alaska. Free astaxanthin in the muscle of spawning fish was only 1% of the amount noted for prespawning fish. Ninety-five percent of the pigment retained by the spawning males was located in the skin as esters and 85% of the pigment of spawning females was deposited in the eggs as free astaxanthin.