# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Salmon are fish that are known for making long, difficult journeys in order to breed. Salmon belong to the scientific family Salmonidae, which also includes trout. There is...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Salmon | Life Cycle of a Salmon | Kids | Science | Read Aloud | Story

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Salmon are anadromous fish, which means they hatch in fresh water, journey to the ocean, then migrate back. Some species are restricted to fresh water throughout their lives.

The term "salmon" comes from the Latin salmo, meaning "to leap."

Most salmon live 2 to 7 years

They eat Shrimp, Stoneflies, Grasshoppers, Krill, Squid

They typically weigh approximately 7-12 lbs

They grow to 28-32 inches long after 2 years at sea

Saltwater salmon travel 18 miles a day

Salmon migrate long distances. Juveniles migrate to the ocean from freshwater streams. Salmon stay in their natal habitat for up to three years.

Salmon spend one to five years in the ocean as adults.

In order to navigate back to their original spawning grounds, salmon use smell to navigate hundreds of miles against the current.

Most male Atlantic salmon die within a few weeks of spawning. However, 10 to 40 percent of female Atlantic salmon return to the sea.

Overfishing and destruction of habitat following European settlement significantly reduced Atlantic salmon numbers along the North Atlantic coast.

Today, there are only a few rivers in Maine where Atlantic salmon live.

Species of Pacific salmon grow in the Pacific Northwest and the western U.S.

Salmon have a complex life cycle. Salmon begin their lives by hatching from eggs called alevin (or sac-fry).

Alevin stays in the gravel for a few weeks, absorbing their yolks and eating stuff that floats through.

They begin to lose their stripes around the time they are as long as your hand. Smolts are the teenage salmon. They are tempted to leave home and travel.

Smolts travel to the ocean in the current. While on their journey, smolts go through smoltification.

They're changing at this time, so they can live in salt water. It eats insects from the water, worms, shrimp, and tadpoles.

Adult salmon know it's time to go home when they feel the urge to spawn. These salmon are usually 2 to 6 years old at this point.

Idaho's salmon have to swim 900 miles to spawn. How do they find their way home? Even scientists don't know, but it's got to do with homing.

As smolts, they store scent information about their birth stream, and as they swim to the ocean, they continue to store it. Salmon create a scent trail in this way that they can follow in the future.

The Chinook/King salmon can reach 58 inches (1 meter) long and 126 pounds (57.2 kg).

A pink salmon can reach 30 inches (0.8 meters)

What eats Atlantic salmon?

In freshwater, juvenile salmon are eaten by a number of different types of fish

Mammals will also find salmon tasty

In the ocean, there are large predatory fish that also find salmon tasty

Atlantic halibut

Atlantic bluefin tuna

Swordfish

Striped bass

What's the difference between Atlantic and Pacific Salmon?

There's actually one species of Atlantic salmon in the genus Salmo. In the genus Oncorhynchus, there are seven different species of salmon.

Despite living short lives after spawning, Atlantic salmon can survive and spawn again. Steelheads are the only Pacific salmon that survive after spawning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Salmon are anadromous fish, which means they hatch in fresh water, journey to the ocean, then migrate back. Some species ... Read more

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Salmon's life cycle and their incredible impact on our ecosystem

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Salmon's Life Mission | Destination WILD

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Salmon Facts

Salmon is fish that belongs to the family Salmonidae. It is closely related to trout and char. There are nine commercially important species of salmon that can be found in the Atlantic (Atlantic salmon, genus Salmo) and Pacific oceans (eight species, genus Oncorhynchus). Most species of salmon are anadromous, which mean that they spend part of their life in rivers and other part in the ocean. Some species of salmon spend their entire life in rivers. Certain populations of salmons are reduced to 3% of their original size due to overfishing. Atlantic salmon is one of the most endangered species of salmon.

Salmon can reach 20 inches to 5 feet in length and 4 to 110 pounds of weight, depending on the species. Cherry salmon is the smallest and Chinook salmon the largest species of salmon.

Salmon can be blue, red or silver in color. Some species are covered with black spots and red stripes.

Color of the body depends on the age and type of habitat. Salmons change the color of the body on their way from the ocean to the freshwater habitats during the mating season.

Salmons have soft fin rays and short dorsal fin. Males and females can be distinguished by the shape of head and jaws. Females have streamlined head, while males develop hook-like structure (called kype) in their jaws before spawning.

Young salmons eat different types of insects, invertebrates and plankton while adult salmons eat small types of fish, squids and shrimps.

Salmons have a lot of natural enemies. They are often targeted by large fish, whales, sea lions and bears.

Salmon is important part of human diet because it contains a lot of proteins, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids.

Salmon travels thousands of miles and climbs 7.000 feet upstream until it reaches spawning areas.

Salmons rely on the sense of smell, ocean currents and moon to find waters where they were born.

Most salmons will die as a result of exhaustion after spawning. Small percent of survived salmons will spawn few more time in their lifetime.

Female prepares nest (called redd) in the gravel using her tail. She lays around 5000 eggs per nest. Once eggs are covered with sperm, female closes the nest with gravel and moves to another location to repeat the process. Female produces up to 7 redds during spawning.

Newly hatched salmons are called alevin or sac fry. They stay in fresh water from 6 months to 3 years, until they become strong enough to swim to the ocean.

Young salmons live in beaver ponds which provide shelter against predators.

Salmon's age can be determined by the number of rings on the otolith (structure in the ear).

Salmon can survive 3 to 8 years in the wild, depending on the species.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Salmon is fish that belongs to the family Salmonidae. It is closely related to trout and char. There are nine commercially important species of salmon that can be found in the Atlantic (Atlantic salmon, genus Salmo) and Pacific oceans (eight species, genus Oncorhynchus).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What's the difference between Atlantic and Pacific Salmon?

The Atlantic salmon is actually one species within the genus Salmo. There are seven different species of Pacific salmon, which belong to the genus Oncorhynchus.

Atlantic salmon generally don't live long after spawning but are capable of surviving and spawning again. Most Pacific salmon die shortly after spawning, with the exception of steelhead.

Where do Atlantic salmon live?

Atlantic salmon used to be found from Long Island Sound to New England, but those populations no longer exist in these rivers. Currently U.S. Atlantic salmon are only found in a handful of rivers in Maine.

Why do salmon go to sea?

Atlantic salmon go to sea to grow. The energy content and abundance of food in the ocean is much higher than in freshwater, so fish are able to grow very big, very quickly. This is important because larger fish are less likely to be eaten and the females have more eggs. A lot of eggs are needed to produce enough juveniles that will grow to maturity and return to spawn and sustain the population.

When do Atlantic salmon migrate to the ocean?

Young Atlantic salmon (called "smolts") migrate to sea every year in the spring. The "smolt run" in the Gulf of Maine begins in the middle of April and is over by the beginning of June. Due to regional climate impacts, the smolt run is starting earlier than in the past. The run begins later at northern latitudes.

How old are Atlantic salmon when they migrate from freshwater to the ocean?

Atlantic salmon smolt are usually 2-3 years old when they begin their migration in U.S. waters, but migrating smolt are often older at higher latitudes.

Where do Atlantic salmon go in the ocean?

North American Atlantic salmon migrate in the spring from the rivers where they were born. They move into the Labrador Sea for their first summer, autumn, and winter. The following spring they move to the coastal waters of Labrador and the Canadian Arctic, West Greenland, and sometimes to the waters of East Greenland. After a second winter at sea, adults from many populations are large and mature enough to spawn, and they migrate back to freshwater areas to reproduce.

What is a landlocked salmon?

A landlocked Atlantic salmon is a freshwater form of the sea-run Atlantic salmon. They are genetically considered a subspecies of the sea-run Atlantic salmon. They reside in lakes, never making the marine migration. They generally do not grow as large as sea-run fish, averaging between 12 and 20 inches long.

What do Atlantic salmon eat?

In fresh water, young salmon mostly eat small insects such as mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies, blackflies, and riffle beetles. Sometimes they eat small amphibians and fish.

When they're in the ocean, young and adult salmon eat a wide variety of prey, including:

Fish such as capelin, Atlantic herring, sand lance, barracudina and lanternfish.

Crustaceans such as amphipods and euphausiids or "krill."

Cephalopods like squid and octopus.

Polychaete worms.

Just before adults migrate to estuaries to begin the spawning migration, they stop eating altogether.

What eats Atlantic salmon?

In freshwater, juveniles are eaten by a variety of fish (smallmouth bass, striped bass, Northern pike, slimy sculpin, etc.), birds (kingfisher, double-crested cormorant, mergansers, osprey, blue heron, snowy egret, etc.), and mammals (otter, mink, etc.).

In the ocean, Atlantic salmon are eaten by:

Large predatory fish like Atlantic halibut, Atlantic bluefin tuna, swordfish, and striped bass.

Greenland shark, mako sharks, porbeagle sharks, and other sharks.

Seabirds such as the Northern gannett.

Various seals (harp, grey, harbor, etc.).

Toothed whales like killer whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

Atlantic salmon are also caught for consumption by humans in targeted aboriginal or traditional First Nations fisheries.

How large do salmon get?

The largest Atlantic salmon was 105 pounds and 60 inches. However, depending on how long they are at sea, adults returning to the Gulf of Maine rivers typically weigh approximately 7-12 lbs and are 28-32 inches long after 2 years at sea.

What is the oldest known age of Atlantic salmon?

The maximum recorded age was 13 years old, but most Atlantic salmon that survive to reproduce live 5 to 8 years (1-7 years in fresh water, 1-6 years in the marine environment).

Do salmon return to spawn in freshwater areas where they were born?

Almost always. While some straying has been documented, most spawning salmon return to the river in which they were born and sometimes they even home to the very stream of their birth.

How many eggs do Atlantic salmon have?

Generally from 2,500 to 7,000 depending on the size of the female (larger females have more eggs), or about 600-800 eggs per pound of body weight.

What is the ESA and how does it relate to salmon?

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is a law passed in 1973 that provides for the protection and conservation of species that are at very high risk of going extinct. Atlantic salmon populations in the Gulf of Maine are listed as endangered under the ESA. This means that they are in danger of extinction throughout all or part of their range. Before construction of dams in the early 1830s, more than 100,000 Atlantic salmon returned to U.S. rivers each year; now adult returns are usually less than 1,000.

Why are there so few Atlantic salmon left in New England rivers?

There are many reasons why U.S. Atlantic salmon population abundances are so low. There are three primary causes:

Habitat degradation: Centuries of industrialization on New England rivers (e.g., paper and textile mills, deforestation of riparian areas and log drives) has resulted in the degradation of a lot of the fishes' spawning and rearing habitat, effectively reducing the productive capacity of our rivers.

Barriers to migration: Barriers, such as dams and hydroelectric power plants, and poorly designed culverts at road crossings can delay or prevent juvenile salmon swimming downstream and adults swimming upstream. This can make it difficult or impossible for them to reach the habitats they need to survive.

Marine survival: Recently, fewer Atlantic salmon have survived their journey to the Northwest Atlantic. Potential drivers include harvest, starvation (via thermal habitat and food food-web changes), predation, and disease.

Why are hatcheries raising salmon?

Salmon are raised in hatcheries to supplement natural production in rivers. U.S. Atlantic salmon are endangered and are currently unable to produce enough juveniles under natural conditions in the rivers to support their populations. Therefore, juveniles are raised in hatcheries to various stages (i.e., fry, fingerling, parr, and smolt) to enhance survival at early life stages. Then they are stocked in the rivers so that they can migrate to sea then return to spawn after a few years. Stocking helps maintain endangered populations so they don't go extinct. This gives scientists and managers more time to figure out how to restore thriving populations to Gulf of Maine rivers again.

How many of the young salmon released from hatcheries come back as adults?

From 2010-2015, releases of hatchery-raised Atlantic salmon smolt to supplement natural production in the streams of the Gulf of Maine resulted in adult spawning returns of approximately 0.08-0.71%. This low return rate is the result of numerous factors including high mortality in the river from downstream passage barriers and low marine survival.

Why are fish ladders constructed?

Fish passage is essential for adult salmon to be able to travel upriver to spawn and for salmon smolts to be able to travel down river to reach the sea. A fish ladder, or fishway, is often constructed to help salmon swim upstream around a dam or a natural barrier that might prevent or impede progress to spawning grounds. Downstream passage of migrating smolts and some post-spawned adults past barriers is sometimes provided by constructing a bypass structure or by allowing sufficient amounts of water to spill over a dam.

What Was the Presidential Salmon?

Before the decline of Atlantic salmon, anglers competed annually to land the largest spring salmon. The Presidential Salmon Tradition was born out of a Penobscot River competition when, in 1912, Karl Anderson sent his winning 22-pound salmon to President Taft. The tradition was suspended due to low salmon abundance in 1992. President George H. W. Bush was the last President to receive a Presidential salmon.
Thanks to Ruth Haas-Castro of the Atlantic Salmon Ecosystems Research Team for her input on this page.
Other Fun Facts Pages

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Atlantic salmon is actually one species within the genus Salmo. There are seven different species of Pacific salmon, which belong to the genus Oncorhynchus. Atlantic salmon generally don't live long after spawning but are capable of surviving and spawning again. Most Pacific salmon die shortly after spawning, with the exception of steelhead.

# data[].attributes.headline
10 Interesting Facts About Salmon Fish for Kids

# data[].attributes.subject
10 Interesting Facts About Salmon Fish for Kids

# data[].attributes.body
Salmon is the common name for various fish species in the Salmonidae family. They are indigenous to North Atlantic and Pacific Ocean tributaries. Pacific salmon come in seven varieties. Chinook, coho, chum, sockeye, and pink Salmon are all found in North American waters. Masu and amago Salmon are exclusively found in Asia. There is only one type of Atlantic salmon.

In this article, we will be sharing some interesting salmon facts for kids to learn and gain some knowledge about these fish species.

Here are some interesting facts about Salmon:

1. Salmon are considered a keystone species, meaning they rely on other natural species.

Salmon not only supply nutrients to streams and rivers since they die after spawning, but they are also an essential element of the diet of other land-dwelling species. Studies demonstrated salmon to be essential in restoring nutrients to forests by carrying salmon carcasses from the stream and into the forest to consume. Many components of the natural system begin to shift when keystone species are removed from their habitats. Beavers and wolves are two further examples of keystone species.

2. The color of Salmon can vary.

Salmon may be three different shades during their lives. They can be blue, crimson, or silver. Some animals have black dots and red stripes on their bodies. During the mating season, salmons alter the color of their bodies as they migrate from the ocean to freshwater environments in order to attract a spawning mate.

Sockeye salmon, for example, are light-colored and speckled as youngsters before becoming silvery blue as adults in the ocean. When adults are ready to spawn, their bodies turn a bright red, and their heads turn green.

3. Salmon are drawn to both saltwater and freshwater.

Salmon are “anadromous,” or able to live in both salt and fresh water. They are born in freshwater and stay there for a good amount of time before venturing out to sea.

When the time comes, they come back to freshwater to spawn. Only a few fish can withstand such dramatic salinity changes, and they would die if transported from salty to freshwater like Salmon. When saltwater fish come into contact with fresh water, their cells may explode.

Osmoregulation occurs when freshwater fish are exposed to saline water, and their cells shrink.  Luckily, Salmon have excellent behavioral and physiological adaptations that allow them to survive in both environments.

4. Salmon migrate to the sea to grow.

Since the energy content and availability of food in the ocean are significantly larger than in freshwater, fish may grow quite large and very rapidly. This is significant because larger fish are less likely to be eaten, and females lay more eggs. A large number of eggs are required to generate enough juveniles that will mature and return to spawn, hence sustaining the population.

5. A female salmon may carry over 4,000 eggs.

A female salmon may lay anywhere from 1,500 to 10,000 eggs. Only around 10 of these eggs will develop into adult salmon. On average, a population of the same size produces one adult from each parent (two adults from each spawning pair), although this fluctuates from year to year.

6. Salmon are primarily omnivores.

They may consume a wide variety of small amphibians and ocean food, such as capelin, Atlantic herring, sand lance, barracudina, and lanternfish. Crustaceans like amphipods and euphausiids, sometimes known as “krill.”

Young Salmon consume insects, amphipods, and other crustaceans; adults feed mostly on other fish, as well as squid, eels, and shrimp. Sockeye salmon, unlike all other Salmon, is almost entirely made up of plankton.

7. Many Salmon die after spawning.

Salmon spend their whole lives returning to their native stream, laying eggs, and building a nest. Salmon stop feeding when they return to fresh water and lose their ability to return to the ocean after spawning. When they die, other animals consume them, so providing nutrients to the stream. Steelhead trout continue to eat in freshwater, and, as a result, many survive and migrate to the sea. They can develop for another year before reproducing.

8. Salmon can be shy sometimes.

Scientists have discovered that Atlantic Salmon, like many other fish species, have distinct personalities. Some salmon are timider than others. Despite common assumptions, Salmon, like other fish, may be highly leader-shy under certain settings. A leader may have little or no influence in some extremely specialized situations.

9. When salmon spawn, they return to the stream where they were born.

Pacific salmon expend all of their energy to return to their home stream, lay eggs, and dig their nest. When they return to freshwater, most of them stop feeding because they lack the stamina to return to the ocean after spawning. They return to the stream where they were born because they know that it is an excellent spot to spawn; they will not waste time searching for a stream with suitable habitat and other Salmon.

10. Fish passage is required for adult salmon to move upriver to spawn.

A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, is frequently built to assist Salmon in swimming upstream past a dam or natural barrier that may restrict or delay access to spawning areas.

Downstream passage of migratory smolts and certain post-spawned adults to flow downriver to reach the sea is occasionally given by building a bypass structure or allowing enough water to pour over a dam.

Conclusion

We hope that you found the above facts about Salmon for kids interesting.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Do Fish Breathe? | Animal Science for Kids