Salmon:
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident,[says who?] but this distinction does not strictly hold true. Salmon live along the coasts of both the North Atlantic (the migratory species Salmo salar) and Pacific Oceans (half a dozen species of the genus Oncorhynchus), and have also been introduced into the Great Lakes of North America. Salmon are intensively produced in aquaculture in many parts of the world.
Typically, salmon are anadromous: they are born in fresh water, migrate to the ocean, then return to fresh water to reproduce. However, there are populations of several species that are restricted to fresh water through their life. Folklore has it that the fish return to the exact spot where they were born to spawn; tracking studies have shown this to be true, and this homing behavior has been shown to depend on olfactory memory.
Types of Salmon:
There are 7 types of salmon.
- Chinook
Chinook salmon are the most well known type of salmon in North America. Also known as King salmon, they are the largest of the salmon species. Americans often refer to Chinook as “Kings” because they are the “King” of salmon.
- Coho
Coho salmon are seen as the most hard fighting salmon for their size and are fun on light tackle. Americans often call them “Silvers” probably because they don’t turn color quite as quickly while heading up the rivers to spawn.
- Sockeye
Sockeye salmon are seen as the best eating salmon. They are also the most tricky to catch unless they are in large schools. Most Sockeye salmon are caught in commercial seine nets. During the 1980’s sportsfisherman started to figure out how to catch sockeye on a fishing line.
- Chum
Chum salmon are generally harvested by commercial fisherman in seine nets as well. The Chum eggs are a prize for many Japanese people who love caviar. Chum salmon look quite ugly by the time they make their way up the river to spawn.
- Pinks
Pink salmon are seen as the least desired to catch as they are quite small, don’t fight much and give off quite a putrid smell. They are the most plentiful of the salmon species.
- Atlantic Salmon
Wild Atlantic salmon are on the east coast of North America, the Great Lakes as well as in Europe. Atlantic salmon are the most durable of the salmon species making them the prime salmon to put in “farms”. Not to be confused with “Hatchery” salmon, farmed alantic salmon are reared all over the world. Be careful when buying salmon to make sure that you are buying wild salmon and not farmed salmon. Wild Atlantic salmon are a hard fighting salmon and lots of fun to play.
- Steelhead
Steelhead are ocean going rainbow trout. Part of the salmon family, Steelhead spend most of their time in the ocean, however, they are rarely caught here and are most well known for being caught in rivers as they come back to spawn. Steelhead will often spawn several times before they die unlike the other salmon species.
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