Atlantic Salmon

🐟 All About the Atlantic Salmon
The mighty fish that swims from river to sea and back again! 🌊🏞️🔁

📖 Quick Overview

🌟 What Is an Atlantic Salmon?

The Atlantic Salmon is a super swimmer that starts life in freshwater, grows up in the open ocean, and then swims all the way back to its home river to lay eggs!

They have:

• Silvery-blue scales
• Streamlined bodies for fast swimming
• Strong tails to leap over waterfalls
• A built-in GPS (they remember the smell of their home river!)

📍 Where Do Atlantic Salmon Live?

They’re found in both freshwater rivers and the cold North Atlantic Ocean.

🗺️ Places They Migrate Between:

• Born in rivers of Canada, U.S. (Maine), Iceland, Norway, Scotland, and Russia
• Grow up in the North Atlantic Ocean
• Return to their birth river to spawn

🌊 Habitat:

• Freshwater rivers (for hatching and spawning)
• Open ocean (for most of adult life)

🍽️ What Do Atlantic Salmon Eat?

They eat different foods at different stages of life!

🐣 Young salmon (fry and parr):

• Aquatic insects
• Zooplankton

🐟 Adult salmon:

• Small fish (like herring)
• Squid
• Shrimp and other crustaceans

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family and Groups

Salmon don’t stay with their parents, but they travel in groups called runs during migrations.

👶 Baby Salmon Names:

• Fry (just hatched)
• Parr (young with stripes)
• Smolt (ready to head to sea)

Adults return to the exact river where they were born to lay eggs—some even return to the very same spot!

💪 Super Salmon Skills

• Swim thousands of miles across the ocean
• Leap up waterfalls and rapids during migration
• Can live in both fresh and saltwater
• Use scent to navigate back to their birth river
• Some can weigh up to 30 pounds (14 kg)!

💡 Fun Facts About Atlantic Salmon

• They can jump up to 12 feet (3.6 meters) high
• Atlantic salmon may live up to 13 years
• They turn brighter and redder when it’s time to spawn
• Unlike Pacific salmon, some Atlantic salmon can survive spawning and return again!
• They are born in rivers but grow up in the ocean

🛑 Are Atlantic Salmon in Danger?

Yes. They are listed as vulnerable due to:

• Dams blocking their migration
• Pollution in rivers and oceans
• Overfishing and climate change
• Competition from farmed salmon and invasive species

💚 How Can We Help?

• Support clean river and ocean projects
• Avoid products from unsustainable salmon farms
• Learn and share how amazing wild salmon are!
• Help groups that build fish ladders and restore habitats

✏️ Activity: Make a Salmon Migration Map!

🎨 Grab paper, markers, and stickers to:

• Draw a river leading to the ocean
• Add salmon at each stage: egg, fry, parr, smolt, adult
• Show them leaping waterfalls and swimming home!

✅ Summary