Earlier we talked about the five types of salmon fish in the world. There are some species of Salmon that can be found, especially in America regions. It’s considered to be a common type of fish, mainly farmed for either aquaculture and other commercial purposes. They tend to live within groups, going from the streams of rivers, to the ocean, and finally back. Salmons, even though highly farmed by basically everybody, they have the ability to survive for a long time. One type of salmon can even live to the whole five years of life.
Even though there are some different types of Salmon, their life cycle is basically the same. They will start during the egg spawning, first time they hatch, going all the way to the ocean, and finally rest in peace in the first spot. Their life is indeed amazing. So let’s get to know about amazing life story of salmon fish a bit closer.
The Egg Spawning
Just like any other types of fish,all started from the eggs. Salmons build their nest for their eggs in the stream of freshwater. The females lay eggs in their nest, usually “built” out of small stones and gravel. They make this nest in order to protect the eggs, from both the danger of predators and natural environment condition. The males later fertilize these eggs. These eggs will remain in the gravel all winter. Waiting their time to grow. During this time, they will develop into an embryo. And finally in the Spring time, they will hatch.
From the eggs, they will come out as a little red fishes. They are called as alevins. Alevnins will take their time inside their save nest territory. However, in order to survive, they will eat all the yolk sac. After some time, they grow into a bigger size fishes, called fry. And that’s when they learn to survive.
Becoming A Fry
The life of a fry is a way challenging, since now they have to survive not only from hunger, but also predators. Their lives really depend on the quality of the ecosystem. Better quality always means better life. With the logs, big stones, and other obstacles available, they practically can hide from the predators, while the area that affected by adverse effects fishing with bombs, is surely bad for them. Then, they can continue their lives on the natal stream, eating planktons.
Fry usually spends about a year in the natal stream, and it depends on the species actually. For example, Chum and Pink Salmons are usually already silvery smolts, they will head to the ocean right away. Meanwhile, Sockeye salmons can spend one or two years around the neighborhood before departing to the sea. The salmons wait for their smolting time, when their skins turn to silver or greenish blue.
Downstream Migration
In order to adapt with characteristics of ocean biome, salmons will begin to smolt their skin. After the skin changes, then they are ready to go to the ocean. Some of them will end in the mouth of the river, preparing their time in order to get adjusted to the new condition. Some young salmons eat heavily in order to ensure their survival at sea. Just like the adults, after the turn into silvery color, they head to the sea right away. This color is important for their own survival, as it can make them unnoticed by some types of marine predators. These salmons will spend their time in the ocean for about one to up to seven years long. Some species will stay longer than others.
Back to Home
After spending some time in the ocean, the salmons will be back home. They will detect any scents or chemical cues with the help of the sun to detect their way. After they finally reach the fresh water, they stop feeding. Usually, the salmons will prepare their time for spawning. The males however, use their developed hooked nose in order to assert dominance. During this time, some males will fight each other for another female. Once they’re done, the spawning prosess begins.
Spawning Prosess and Death
Last one in the article of get to know about amazing life story of salmon fish is the spawning process. The spawning procession starts with the females that building the nests for their eggs. The female uses her side and her tail in order to create a nice spot in the gravel. Later on, the femals lay some eggs into the spot, and the males fertilize them. The final step is to cover the spot with some gravel, it’s done by the female. Eventually, both the females and males die. With their deceised bodies, the rivers will get nutritients that’s useful for their generations.