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[dave c]

This past week caught 2 doe coho.  Much to my dismay the meat was marble.  Caught them in a system that does not have springs.  They were definitely coho.  Wondering if this could be a hatchery mix-up.  Thoughts? Can salmonoids inter breed?

[clarki]

I have to head out this morning and don’t have time for a longer response, but the answer to your question is yes, coho and chinook can interbreed.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/hybrid-salmon-discovered-by-scientists-on-vancouver-island-1.5318092

Although this is unlikely the explanation of what you experienced.

[canoeboy]

The doe's lose coloring pretty fast as they pump energy into egg production, usually bigger roe sac less colored meat I find.

[dave c]

The doe's lose coloring pretty fast as they pump energy into egg production, usually bigger roe sac less colored meat I find.

I agree. and in the past ive noticed Buck's meat is a deeper orange than mature doe's but this is way more extreme, sections of white meat with a lighter orange just like a marbled spring.  As they both were hatchery fish was wondering if hatchery possibly mixed up a couple batches of sperm/roe from springs and coho. 

[canoeboy]

Interesting, I wonder if it was selection of food available in the ocean? As I've heard a reason for sockeye meat being so orange is due to diet? Maybe something was more abundant then other food sources where those coho migrated from?

[roeman]

Food source is the best reason for meat color.

[RalphH]

Springs are usually red/orange. White springs lack the enzyme needed to metabolize the red/orange pigment from various crustaceans. Perhaps your doe coho had a genetic defect. Marbled flesh usually refers to combinations of light and dark color - like a good rib eye steak is marbled (or striated) with fat. I have heard of marble springs and the only that I have caught that may fit the bill had white flash in the lower belly meat and around the spine.

[clarki]

I lean towards it being a naturally occurring genetic "defect" and not the result of hybridization or a hatchery error.

A number of years ago I caught a hatch coho on the same system I believe you caught yours on. It was a coho, but there were spots on the lower half of the tail. Enough spots for me to take a moment to go, Hmmm... and confirm my ID.

Pretty sure it wasn't a coho-chinook hybrid, just a coho that got the extra-sport gene..if that's thing.

[canoeboy]

I did catch a spring this year on a local flow (Harrison stock only I believe) that was what I assume marbled is. It was mostly white meat with big fat red streaks mostly down the lateral line.