Did You Know?
Adult salmon are excellent jumpers.
In fact, that is how they got their name. In Latin, salmon means “the leaper,” as they have the ability to jump up to 3.5 metres out of the water.
Where is this species found?
Atlantic salmon were once found in every country whose river flowed into the North Atlantic ocean and Baltic Sea.
What does it eat?
The species’ diet varies depending on what stage of life it is in. Juvenile salmon still living in their native river will eat zooplankton, larvae and invertebrates. As they migrate to salt water, their diet will change. In the ocean, salmon will consume smaller fish such as herring, krill and shrimp.
(Fun fact: Just before adults migrate to estuaries to begin the spawning migration, they stop eating altogether. That’s why they are so hard to catch!)
Atlantic salmon versus Pacific salmon
Despite living on opposite coasts, there is a strong resemblance between these two species, including their appearance, diet and spawning habits. However, each species has a genus. Atlantic salmon belong to the genus Salmo and Pacific salmon to Oncorhynchus. Members of Oncorhynchus include species such as Chinook, chum, coho and pink salmon. One key difference is that while Pacific salmon die after spawning, Atlantic salmon return to the sea.
