Salmon

ID points

• Grey-green back with fine dense black spots; silvery white belly
• A rayless adipose fin behind the dorsal fin
• Turns red at spawning time, with the upper jaw hooked

Basics

Family

Salmonidae

Length

50–120 cm

Depth

0-200 m

Regions

Temperate & polar · Estuary & freshwater

Distribution

North Atlantic, North Pacific and the rivers running into them

Habitat

Cold seas and the rivers they spawn in

Diet

Crustaceans, small fish

Easily confused with

BarracudaLong spear-like body with a bright silvery sheenBlacktip Reef SharkEvery fin tip carries a bold black blotchCodA single prominent short barbel under the chin

Fun fact

A salmon remembers the smell of the stream it hatched in, and years later finds its way back from the open ocean to spawn in that same river. It eats nothing on the journey upstream, burning stored fat to see the trip through.