'salmon trout') or cherry trout (桜鱒, サクラマス, sakura masu) in Japan,[1][2] is a species of salmonid belonging to the genus Oncorhynchus, found in the North Pacific along Northeast/East Asian coasts from the Russian Far East (Primorsky, Kamchatka Peninsula, Sakhalin and Kuril Islands) to south through Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

Although generally accepted as a salmon in the West, the fish is actually regarded as a trout in Japan (its most famous native range) as it is the most commonly seen freshwater salmonid in the Japanese archipelago.

A masu salmon which has reached sexual maturity has a darkened back, and the stripes on the body sides become bright red with crimson tinge to merge on the abdomen into one common longitudinal band of lighter color.

[3] The maximum size that can be attained by this species (which is in the region of Primorsky Krai) is 71 cm (28 in) long and 9 kg (20 lb) in weight.

Emerging from the nest, the young do not travel to the sea immediately, but remain in spawning areas, in the upper reaches of rivers, and on shallows with weak currents.