What type of fish is salmon?

What type of fish is salmon?

Salmon /ˈsæmən/ is the common name for several species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. Other fish in the same family include trout, char, grayling, and whitefish. Salmon are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus Salmo) and Pacific Ocean (genus Oncorhynchus).

Is salmon a river fish?

All salmon are classified as anadromous, a term derived from Greek words that mean upward (ana) and running (dromos). This refers to fish that spend part of their lives in the ocean and move into freshwater rivers or streams to spawn.

What is the scientific name of salmon?

Salmo salar
Atlantic salmon/Scientific names

salmon, originally, the large fish now usually called the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), though more recently the name has been applied to similar fishes of the same family (Salmonidae), especially the Pacific salmon, which constitute the genus Oncorhynchus.

Are salmon scavengers?

Salmon carcasses provide a valuable food source to terrestrial vertebrates (Reimchen 1994). Terrestrial vertebrates known to commonly scavenge on Pacific salmon carcasses in rivers in the Pacific Northwest of North America include bears (genus Ursus) (Quinn et al.

Which type of salmon is best?

Chinook salmon
Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha), also known as King salmon, is considered by many to be the best-tasting of the salmon bunch. They have a high-fat content and corresponding rich flesh that ranges from white to a deep red color.

Who named salmon?

Salmon are named after their runs. Sockeye salmon swimming upstream in the annual migration in the Adams River, British Columbia, Canada. Many believe that the word “salmon” comes from the Latin word salmo or salire, which means “to leap”.

What animals rely on salmon?

Of the 137 species documented as dependent on salmon, 41 are mammals including orcas, bears and river otters, 89 are birds, including bald eagles, Caspian terns and grebes, five are reptiles and two are amphibians.

What eats Atlantic salmon?

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 gannet.

Why Atlantic salmon is bad?

Atlantic salmon tends to be higher in contamination from their environment and their processed feed. Atlantic salmon is higher PCB’s, a contaminant that is believed to be a carcinogen or causes cancer.

Which salmon is healthiest to eat?

Pacific salmon
These days, Atlantic salmon is typically farmed, while Pacific salmon species are primarily wild-caught. Wild-caught Pacific salmon are typically considered to be the healthiest salmon.

Why are Atlantic salmon vulnerable to disease and parasites?

Disease. Atlantic salmon are also vulnerable to parasites, and there is strong evidence that commercial aquaculture facilities are a primary source of parasites for naturally occurring populations of Atlantic salmon. Best management practices and good fish husbandry have minimized the risks from disease and parasites.

How do salmon find their way back to their natal stream?

Salmon are thought to use several navigation aids to find their way back to where they were hatched. Scientists believe salmon use a combination of a magnetic orientation, celestial orientation, the memory of their home stream’s unique smell, and a circadian calendar to return to their natal stream to spawn.

How are Atlantic salmon different from other salmon?

Behavior. Adult Atlantic salmon are considered much more aggressive than other salmon, and are more likely to attack other fish than others. A matter of concern is where they have become an invasive threat, attacking native salmon, such as Chinook salmon and coho salmon.

Where are the breeding grounds of Atlantic salmon?

The salmon has a fusiform body, and well-developed teeth. All fins, except the adipose fin, are bordered with black. The natural breeding grounds of Atlantic salmon are rivers in Europe and the northeastern coast of North America. In Europe, Atlantic salmon are still found as far south as Spain, and as far north as Russia.