Atlantic Salmon
The iteroparous salmon of the North Atlantic
The Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to 1 m (3.3 ft) in length. Atlantic salmon are found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into it. Most populations are anadromous, hatching in streams and rivers but moving out to sea as they grow where they mature, after which the adults seasonally move upstream again to spawn. Unlike Pacific species of salmon, S. salar is iteroparous, meaning it can survive spawning and return to sea to repeat the process again in another year with 5–10% returning to the sea to spawn again.
Quick Facts
- Species
- salar
Lore & Background
The Atlantic salmon was given its scientific binomial name by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The name Salmo salar derives from the Latin salmo, meaning salmon, and salar, meaning leaper or 'resident of salt water'. Other names include bay salmon, black salmon, caplin-scull salmon, fiddler, sebago salmon, silver salmon, outside salmon, and winnish. At different life stages they are known as parr, smolt, grilse, grilt, kelt, slink, and spring salmon. Landlocked populations spend their entire lives in freshwater.
Reader's Guide
Atlantic salmon are the largest species in the genus Salmo. After two years at sea, they average 71 to 76 cm in length and 3.6 to 5.4 kg in weight. The heaviest recorded specimen weighed 49.44 kg, netted in 1960 in Scotland. The longest recorded was 160.65 cm, netted in 1925 in Norway. Young salmon have blue and red spots; adults have a silver-blue sheen with black spots predominantly above the lateral line. Males take on a slight green or red colour when reproducing. They have a fusiform body and well-developed teeth. All fins except the adipose fin are bordered with black.
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