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There are still unsolved problems involving the relationships and distribution of the odd and even year broodlines in this species. Because virtually all pink salmon mature at two years, the generations spawning on odd and even years are genetically isolated from one another and often differ in life history and genetic characteristics. Usually one broodline is dominant (i.e., there is a strong run one year followed by a much smaller run the next year). At the southern end of their North American distribution (including southern British Columbia) odd year runs are dominant but, in B.C., north of the Fraser River system, many rivers support relatively strong runs on both odd and even years. From the Queen Charlotte Islands north into Alaska, even year runs are dominant. Presumably, odd and even year runs have evolved independently in different areas but the reasons for the broad geographic pattern in run-dominance is still a mystery. The pattern of mitochondrial variation in northern pink salmon indicates multiple Pleistocene divergences followed by a relatively recent (postglacial) expansion from different sources and, perhaps, different colonization routes for the odd and even year broodlines

Arctic, Northwest to Eastern Central Pacific: Alaska and the Aleutian Islands (Ref. 1998), drainages from Northwest Territories in Canada to southern California in USA; the Bering and Okhotsk seas (Ref. 1998). Western Pacific: Russian Federation (Ref. 1998), eastern Korea and Hokkaido, Japan (Ref. 559). Import restricted in Germany (Anl.3 BArtSchV). Occasionally hybridizes with Oncorhynchus keta producing fertile offspring (Ref. 28983). Introduced in Iran (Ref. 39702).