Atlantic salmon

SPECIES INFORMATION

  • The Atlantic Salmon is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean in the rivers that flow into the North Atlantic. The species is largely influenced by any changes in the climate and freshwater habitat. These are cold-water fish and are sensitive to change in water temperature.
  • The Atlantic salmon is a species of the ray-finned fish, which belongs to the Salmonidae family. The Atlantic salmons are of three kinds, namely European, North American and Baltic. The Atlantic salmon is the largest species in the Salmo genus.
  • Atlantic Salmon has been used for commercial and recreational fishing. In colonial America, gillnetting was a fishing technology that was used to fish the Atlantic salmon. Large boats were used to target the species. Semi-permanent structures and traps also used to be installed in the rivers to target the fishes. However, overfishing and destruction in the habitat have reduced their numbers significantly.

SIZE

After spending two years in the sea, the Atlantic salmon grows around 28 to 31 inches that are approximately 71 to 76 cms in length. It weighs an average of 8 to 12 pounds. People have, however, recorded catching a fish that weighs 100 pounds. The fishes that spend more than four winters feeding in the sea turn to grow much larger. The maximum size of an Atlantic salmon recorded was 63.25 inches.

RANGE

The fish species are found in the North American waters, Greenland, Iceland, Russia, and Europe. They brood in the coastal rivers of north-eastern North America, Europe, Iceland, and north-western Russia. After this, they migrate to various parts of the North Atlantic Ocean. Historically, the Atlantic salmon existed almost as far in the south to the state of Virginia and in the north to the Nunavut. This is in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean. In Europe, you can still find the Atlantic Salmon till the south of Spain and Russia in the north. Atlantic Salmon is also now introduced in south Argentina, Chile, and New Zealand

HABITAT

To spawn, the Atlantic salmon needs rubble that is swiftly moving in the water. The eggs will hatch in the spring season. After it emerges from the rubble, the young juveniles will look for nursery habitats. The most accommodating are areas that provide sufficient cover. The depth should be shallow and the water flow needs to be moderate to fast.

After two or three years, the Atlantic salmon will migrate to the ocean through the estuary and here they need a depth of 0-210 m. There are some landlocked specimens of Atlantic salmon as well.

The eggs and the juvenile are dependent a lot on the habitat and they are sensitive to any ecological change.

DIET

The young salmon starts to feed a few days after it hatches from the egg. They start to eat the tiny invertebrates. After they mature a bit they start to feed on small fishes. Some also eat the salmon eggs. In general, the juvenile fishes will feed on mollusks, aquatic insects, fish, and crustaceans. The adult fishes will feed on shrimp, squid, and fish.

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