salmon

any of various large food and game fishes of northern waters

usually migrate from salt to fresh water to spawn a tributary of the Snake River in Idaho flesh of any of various marine or freshwater fish of the family Salmonidae a pale pinkish orange color of orange tinged with pink

This article is about the fish. For other uses, see Salmon (disambiguation).'' Salmon is the common name for several species of fish of the Salmonidae family. Several other fishes in the family are called trout. Salmon live in both the Atlantic OceanAtlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Great Lakes and other land locked lakes. The Kamchatka Peninsula, in the Russian Far East, contains the world's greatest salmon sanctuary.Salmon are anadromous: they are born in fresh water, migrate to the ocean, then return to fresh water to reproduce. Folklore has it that the fish return to the exact spot where they were born to spawn and modern research shows that usually at least 90% of the fish spawning in a stream were born there. In Alaska, the crossing over to other streams allows salmon to populate new streams, such as those that emerge as a glacier retreats. How they navigate is still a mystery, though their keen sense of smell may be involved. In all species of Pacific salmon, the mature individuals die within a few weeks of spawning.Coastal dwellers have long respected the salmon. Most peoples of the Northern Pacific shores had a ceremony to honor the first return of the year. For many centuries, people caught the salmon as they swam upriver. A famous spearfishing site on the Columbia River at Celilo Falls was inundated after great dams were built on the river. The Ainu cuisineAinu, of northern Japan taught dogs how to catch salmon as they returned to their breeding grounds en masse. Now, salmon are caught in bays and near shore. Long drift net fisheries have been banned on the high seas except off the coast of Ireland.Both Atlantic and Pacific Salmon are important to recreational fishing around the world.In the southern hemisphere there is the Australian Salmon, which is a salt water species not related in any way to the salmonide. It is found along the southern coastline of Australia and Tasmania. Commonly caught there with large beach nets, its use as a commercial fish has been declining over the last 20 years.

Life History - , in the lower right the blood vessels surround the yolk and in the upper left the black eyes are visible, even the little lens]] The female salmon lays fertilized salmon eggs in stream bottom gravel nests called ''redds''. These eggs usually range from an orange to red in color. The eggs hatch into ''alevin'' or ''sac fry''. The fry quickly develop into ''parr'' with camouflaging vertical stripes. The parr stay for one to three years in their native stream before becoming ''smolts''. The smolt body chemistry changes allowing them to live in salt water. As soon as they become covered with silvery scales they are called ''grilse''. They migrate to the ocean where they will develop in about two to three years, (depending on the species) into mature salmon. After they develop, the adult salmon will return to its native stream, breed, spawn and die. When it spawns, depending on the species, the salmon undergoes gruesome changes. Some grow a hump, others develop canine teeth and change colors, they rot while they are still alive. No one knows why they go back to the stream they were born in to die, but in order to complete their cyclethey must die. Before they die the females release the eggs and the males fertilize them.

Salmon as Food - Salmon is a popular food, and reasonably healthy due to its high protein and Omega-3 fatty acids and its overall low fat levels. According to reports by ''Science (journal)Science'', however, farmed salmon may contain high levels of dioxins. PCB (Polychlorinated biphenyl) levels may also be up to 8 times higher in farmed salmon compared to wild salmon, and Omega-3 content may also be lower than wild caught species. But according to the British FSA (Food Standards Agency) the benefits of eating even farmed salmon still outweigh the risks. Conversely, salmon is generally one of the least tainted by methylmercury of all fish.A simple rule of thumb is that the vast majority of Atlantic OceanAtlantic salmon available on the world market is farmed (greater than 99%), whereas the majority of Pacific OceanPacific salmon is wild-caught (greater than 80%).Salmon is a white-flesh fish. The natural color of salmon results from carotenoids — astaxanthin and to a lesser degree, canthaxanthin — in the fish flesh. Wild salmon get these carotenoids from eating krill and other tiny shellfish. Farm salmon get them in their feed, along with other essential nutrients. Astaxanthin is a potent antioxidant that also stimulates fish nervous systems and improves fertility and growth.Canned salmon in the U.S. is always wild Pacific catch. Smoked salmon is another popular preparation method, and can either be hot or cold smoking (food)smoked. Lox (salmon)Lox can refer either to cold smoked salmon, or to salmon cured in a brine solution (also called gravlax).Raw salmon meat may contain Anisakisanisakidae, marine parasites that cause Anisakiasis. Before the availability of refrigeration, Japanese did not consume raw salmon. Salmon and salmon roes were not used to make sashimi (raw fish) and sushi until !recently.Image: Poachedsalmon.jpegA whole poaching (cooking)poached salmon is an impressive and popular party !dishImage:White_Alaskan_Salmon .jpgWhite Alaskan !SalmonImage:Salmon_roe.jpgSalmon roe at the Shiogama seafood market in Japan

Aquaculture - Salmon is the third largest seafood product raised on fish farms, with shrimp being the second and carps being by far the largest product. Raising salmon on farms decreases the demand for wild salmon but paradoxically increases the demand for other wild fish. Salmon are carnivorous and are currently fed a meal produced from catching other wild fish, so as the number of farmed salmon increase, the demand for other fish to feed the salmon increases. Work continues on substituting vegetable proteins for animal proteins in the salmon diet. Most of the farms in Alaska have a special process for breeding the salmon in the farm. The salmon are born inside a stream in the farm and are bred in special waters until they are old enough to become independent. They are released into the ocean were they are free to live and develop fully until it is time for them to die. When they sense they are going to spawn they immediately return to their stream of birth, in this case they return to the farm where they were born, to breed and then they die. The farmers allow them to release some of their eggs and some of the other eggs are stripped of to produce the eggs that are sold around the world.

Species - The various species of salmon have many names.

Atlantic Ocean species -

Atlantic salmon or Salmon (''Salmo salar''), is the species after which all the others are named.

Land-locked salmon (''Salmo salar sebago'') live in a number of lakes in eastern North America. This subspecies is non-migratory, even when access to the sea is not barred.

Another Atlantic species, ''Salmo trutta'', is usually classified as a trout, despite being a closer relative of Atlantic Salmon than any of the Pacific species of salmon. See Brown Trout.

Pacific Ocean species - pink name = Pacific Ocean Salmon caption = Sockeye Salmon pink Animalia Chordata Actinopterygii Salmoniformes Salmonidae ''Oncorhynchus'' Taxobox_end_placement pink plural_taxon = Species ''O. nerka''
''O. tshawytscha''
''O. gorbuscha''
''O. keta''
''O. kisutch''
''O. masou''Taxobox_end

Sockeye salmon (''Oncorhynchus nerka'') is known locally as "Red Salmon" or "Blueback Salmon." This species is found south as far as the Klamath River in California in the eastern Pacific and northern Hokkaido Island in Japan in the western Pacific and as far north as Bathurst Inlet in the Canadian Arctic in the east and the Anadyr River in Siberia in the west.

Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is also known locally as King, Tyee, Spring Salmon, Quinnat, Tule, or Blackmouth salmon.

Pink salmon or Humpback salmon (''Oncorhynchus gorbuscha'') is found from northern California and Korea, throughout the northern Pacific, and from the Mackenzie River in Canada to the Lena River in Siberia.

Chum salmon (''Oncorhynchus keta'') is known locally as Dog or Calico salmon. This species has a wide geographic range: south to the Sacramento River in California in the eastern Pacific and the island of Kyushu in the Sea of Japan in the western Pacific; north to the Mackenzie River in Canada in the east and to the Lena River in Siberia in the west.

Coho salmon or Silver salmon (''Oncorhynchus kisutch'') is found throughout the coastal waters of Alaska and up most clear-running streams and rivers.

Cherry salmon (''Oncorhynchus masu'' or ''O. masou'') is found only in the western Pacific Ocean in Japan, Korea and Russia.

External links - cookbook

salmonrecipes.net - Salmon Recipes A collection of over 700 salmon recipes.

state.ak.us - Alaska Department of Fish & Game Wildlife Notebook Series

critfc.org - Tribal Salmon Restoration Plan

publicbookshelf.com - How to fish for salmon

salmonnation.com - Salmon Nation A place and idea for "reliable prosperity."

!salmon-halibut-fishing.info - Salmon fishing in Alaska

stjordalselva.no - Salmon fishing in Norway

Nutrition information for kallipolis.com - cooked and kallipolis.com - smoked salmon

mbayaq.org - Seafood Watch executive report on farmed Atlantic salmon from the Monterey Bay Aquarium

nytimes.com - Stores Say Wild Salmon, but Tests Say Farm Bred

? worldandi.com - Is Something Fishy Going On?

nytimes.com - Driving Upstream: A Road Trip With Stops for Salmon

nytimes.com - Driving Upstream: A Road Trip With Stops for Salmon (slideshow)

Rose Fisheries
Family owned Trolling business/Catcher/Processor Mail order and on line sales of high quality salmon and Halibut.
http://www.rosefisheries.com/

Boating Videos,Fishing Videos,Hunting Videos
Boating, Fishing, Hunting, Military History, Athletes/Coaches, GPS and Radar Videos. DVDs & VHS. Everything Outdoors with over 1000 Titles of “How to” videos to choose from at great prices!
http://www.boating-videos.com/

Northern Pacific
The unique information about the Northern Pacific - history, ecology, culture, industry, etc.
http://www.npacific.ru/

TJ's Guide Service
Fishing in Northwest Oregon
http://www.tjsguideservice.com/

Seafood Direct
Seafood Direct carries a wide selection of seafood such as King and Sockeye Salmon, Halibut, Alaska King Crab, Lobster, Orange Roughy, Sea Bass, Cod, Mahi-Mahi, Albacore and Yellowfin Tuna, Tiger Shrimp, and Scallops, as well as a huge selection of canned products and smoked products like our award winning Copper River Reserve Smoked Sockeye Salmon!
http://www.buyseafooddirect.com/

Gulf Trollers Association: Trolling for Wild Pacific Salmon in British Columbia
An organization of troll fishing vessel owners, the Gulf Trollers Association strives to promote the interests of its members, and protect the wild salmon resource. Fishing in the Gulf of Georgia and Johnstone Straits, Gulf Trollers fish for the five species of Pacific Salmon; chinook, coho, sockeye, pink and chum.
http://www.gulftrollers.com/

Pisces VMK Inc.
Pisces VMK maunfacture a full line of fish processing equipment.
http://www.pisces-ind.com/

Connecticut River Salmon Association
The Connecticut River Salmon Association is dedicated to supporting the effort to restore Atlantic salmon in the Connecticut River basin.
http://www.ctriversalmon.org/

Seymour Salmonid Society
The Seymour Salmonid Society runs the Seymour River Fish Hatchery and Education Centre. It holds educational classes on conservation, fish life cycle and create much needed fish habitat.
http://www.seymoursalmon.com

World Records Freshwater Fishing
World records and photo gallery of the 460 largest freshwater fishes worldwide. The first world record database that includes all large freshwater species. Record weights, record lengths and record ages.
http://www.fishing-worldrecords.com/

Gold River, British Columbia
a small westcoast community located in the heart of Vancouver Island wilderness
http://www.goldriverbc.ca/

All-About-Cooking.Com
Recipes and articles on all about cooking salmon, chicken, lobster, rice and more. Outside contributers welcome. Varied and original receipes sought and published
http://www.all-about-cooking.com/

Fishing Books and Video
Find hundreds of discount fishing books, videos, magazines and more at sale prices.
http://www.fishingbooksandvideo.com/

Lobsters-OnLine.Com
First quality seafood from the Lobster Trap Company shipped overnight including lobster, award winning chowder, bisque, steamers and fresh fish.
http://www.lobsters-online.com/

Fishing in Iceland rivers for salmon, trout and sea trout
Fishing in Iceland rivers for salmon, trout sea trout and arctic char. Salmon fishing in Iceland is a unforgetable adventure
http://www.salmon-club.com/

Celtic Angling
Guided Fishing in the Adare, Limerick, Kerry area of Ireland.
http://www.celticangling.com/

Brother Nature Fishing Adventures
Affordable Lake Michigan trout and salmon fishing for groups of 1 to 4 anglers. All tackle furnished, fish cleaned. Departing East Chicago or Portage.
http://www.brightsights.com/brother-nature

Riverdale School District
Local public and community school resources.
http://www.riverdale.k12.or.us/

For the Sake of the Salmon
Designed primarily for watershed groups working to restore and protect salmon habitat.
http://www.4sos.org/

Leftover Salmon
Official site. Contains biography, tour dates, audio clips, pictures, and merchandise.
http://www.leftoversalmon.com/

Atlantic Salmon Federation
The world leader in Atlantic salmon conservation. Site describes federation policies and mission. Also includes annual reports, ongoing research and awards and grants.
http://www.asf.ca/

Save Our Wild Salmon
is a coalition of state, regional and national conservation organizations, sport and commercial fishing businesses and associations committed to restoring wild salmon and steelhead and the habitat upon which they depend in the Pacific Northwest.
http://www.wildsalmon.org/

Alaska Salmon Fishing
Offers small group tour with clear stream, fly and salmon fishing, accommodations.
http://www.alaska-salmon-fishing.net/