Salmon is a large beautiful fish up to 1.5 m long and weighing up to 40 kg. It belongs to the salmon family. Other names for salmon are Atlantic salmon, noble salmon, Baltic salmon. In Western Europe, Atlantic salmon is often referred to as the "king fish".
Fish king
The king fish of the Atlantic salmon is called at once for several reasons. First, for the ability to make long migrations. Salmon travels throughout its life. In youth, swims from freshwater rivers to the North Atlantic Ocean to gain weight, and then comes back to spawn.
Secondly, salmon is one of the most beautiful and graceful fish. Her torso is streamlined with bright silvery scales. In addition, Atlantic salmon is a strong and powerful fish. He is considered one of the best fighters in the fish world.
The first few years of life, young salmon spend in small streams and rivers, feeding on aquatic insects and drifting downstream. During this period, the young are called speckled. Upon reaching a certain size, the speckle turns into an adult - smolt. A silvery color develops, and internal changes take place, allowing them to survive in salt water. In spring, salmon smolt goes to the ocean.
In the ocean, salmon grows rapidly on rich nutritional resources. Here her menu consists of squid, shrimp and small fish, mainly herring and cod. The main feeding grounds for fish are located near Greenland and Iceland. After spending one or two years in the open sea, Atlantic salmon begin their return journey.
It is believed that salmon use a magnetic or solar compass to find their way to their native river. However, this is not known for certain. Salmon can return to fresh waters in spring, summer, or fall. Spawning always occurs in the fall.
The salmon population has been steadily declining over the past two centuries. The situation began to deteriorate sharply in the seventies of the twentieth century, when catches fell by 80%. Pollution of rivers, an increase in the number of artificial obstacles: dams, dams, weirs, make migration impossible.
Salmon family
Salmon belongs to the salmon family. The commercially important salmon species come from two genera. The genus Salmo includes, in fact, the Atlantic salmon (salmon) and several species, united under the general name of trout. The genus Oncorhynchus is a Pacific salmon: chum salmon, pink salmon, chinook salmon, coho salmon, and others.
Our word for salmon comes from the Indo-European "lak", which means "to sprinkle, spray, stain." Literally the name can be interpreted as "variegated fish". The Latin name for salmon is Salmo, which literally means "jumper". Apparently, it is associated with the behavior of salmonids during the spawning period.
All salmon spawn in fresh rivers and streams. No wonder. After all, initially all salmon were freshwater, and only some species in the process of evolution turned into anadromous fish. That is, they spend most of their life in the sea, and return to the rivers where they themselves were born to spawn. Most anadromous salmon die after spawning. This is especially true for Pacific salmon. The exception is the Atlantic species, in which not all individuals die. Some salmon spawn up to 4 times.
