Predatory fish, representative of the salmon family. Another name sea ​​salmon in some regions - salmon. This species is widespread in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, it can also be found in the White and Baltic seas.


The average weight of individuals ranges from 8 kilograms, although some may weigh more than 30 kg. Salmon spawn in the river basins: Neva, Kola, Northern Dvina and many others. In the Black Sea waters, there is a species of salmon that looks like a trout. It can weigh up to 7 kilograms, in rare cases it grows to 24. In the Caspian Sea, it is found caspian salmon , which weighs on average 14 kg. It spawns in the flowing rivers - Kura, Tereka, Svir. Weight at landlocked salmon much smaller than other species and on average reaches 4 kilograms, maximum - 12. Salmon is a typical representative of anadromous fish. It constantly lives in lakes or seas, only for the purpose of reproduction, the fish rises along the rivers.

Fish salmon

A whole family of fish of various shapes and sizes is suitable under the name Salmon. Without being an ichthyologist, it is difficult to figure out what belongs to the "red fish" and what does not. We will try to answer all questions related to salmon.
This is not a definite name, but several species, united into one group family. Several subspecies with different representatives of shape and size fall under the definition.

Most often when people mention salmon, they mean two main genera of the salmon family, namely:
- Pacific - the genus is determined by the plow of the Pacific Ocean, bright representatives can be considered pink salmon, sockeye salmon and chum salmon;
- noble - most often found under the name salmon, which is what they mean in most cases when they say salmon.

Often, this word is included in the full name of an individual, taking into account its characteristics. For example, Atlantic or steelhead salmon.
Having found out that it is the group family that falls under the definition, and not a specific species, it is worthwhile to find out in more detail everything that is associated with this name.

Origin

Pisces are one of the first representatives of life, originating in the origins of history. So far there is no specific data on the formation of a specific shape. Scientists often argue about which species a particular animal is. Salmon are no exception, due to the close similarity in structure with herring. This caused a number of travelers. There are even classifications where both of these families are in the same row.

According to the research and assumptions of ichthyologists, salmon began its history around 145 million years BC. These numbers date the distant ancestor, while the division into families occurred much later, presumably in the period from 62 to 25 million years BC.
The word itself comes from the Indo-European "lak" - meaning spotted or sprinkled. This root is present in the Old Church Slavonic, from which comes the modern sound, "lak" -so-s ". So the word" salmon "meant the presence of dark spots on the exterior.

Description

Salmonids share certain traits that make them recognizable.:
- the presence of an adipose fin, without rays;
- the ability to change colors and appearance depending on the living conditions.

In general, individuals have an oblong body, scales from tail to head, a bare head without antennae. There is a lateral line - a key feature of the structure.

Fins location:
- in the middle part of the belly are the pelvic fins, have 6 or more rays;
- in the lower position of the chest there are pectoral fins without rays;
- a real dorsal fin on the central part of the back, with ten or more rays;
- adipose fin, located immediately behind the real dorsal fin, without rays;
- anal fin - opposite the adipose fin.

The skull is not always a bone, in a significant area there may be a cartilaginous base. The mouth is bordered by two pairs of bones, maxillary and anterior jaw.

The total length of a representative of this family may vary, some specimens grow up to 2 meters. In accordance with the size, the average weight reaches 70 kg, certain representatives have broken and this is a record. Small individuals live from 2 to 5 years, large ones - up to 15 years.

The record holder in size and life expectancy is taimen. According to the studies, he lived for more than 50 years. It was 2.5 m long, weighing over 100 kg.

Life cycle

The variety of the family includes both freshwater salmon and anadromous. Due to the fact that spawning always takes place in fresh water, each subspecies behaves differently.

Some from the moment of hatching from eggs remain in the same reservoir. In the future, they spend their lives in it. These forms of the family are usually called residential.

Anadromous - from the moment of hatching, they are sent to the salty waters of the seas carried by the current, there they grow to an adult fish and return to die.

Anadromous and resident fry feed on various insects, eggs of small slaves. Once in the sea, large representatives become hunters for all kinds of schooling trifles and without vertebrates. Adults spend most of their lives in sea waters, where they gain weight by actively feeding. Only after reaching "old" age, they return to their native reservoirs for spawning.

Spawning

Anadromous salmon for the most part produce offspring only 1 time in their entire life, dying, sweeping away their eggs. Exceptions are found among salmon, some representatives of this species spawn up to four times. But these are rare cases that prove the general rule.

Significant changes occur with chum salmon, pink salmon and other representatives before being sent to spawn. The inner part of the body and the exterior undergo metamorphoses.

The body changes color, bright colors appear, silveriness disappears, black or red spots appear. In males, a hump in the back may begin to form. Pink salmon got its name precisely because of this feature. The jaws also undergo changes, becoming hooked, and the teeth more rounded.

At the same time, internal organs change, the intestines, stomach, and liver degenerate. Muscle tissues acquire greater elasticity and fat content, as a result, the meat loses its color and taste.

Classification

The family is divided into three subfamilies, namely:
- salmon;
- whitefish;
- grayling.

In addition, the division is carried out by genus.:
- Pacific- the main habitat follows from the name. They have small and medium-sized scales. Eggs of orange hue. The key feature is death after spawning. Representatives are - pink salmon, chinook salmon, chum salmon, sockeye salmon, coho salmon.
- Real salmon- have fewer rays on the fins; juveniles have teeth in the back of the mouth. Despite the color change during the mating season, the eggs do not die during the mating season. Habitats Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. Not infrequently found in: Aral, Baltic, Black, Caspian seas. They are characterized by a rich color of the scales.
- Loaches- a variety that got its name due to its appearance. Very small scales give the impression of their complete absence. Their detachment includes dozens of varieties, can be residential and walk-through.


Trout (Latin trutta) is a collective name. Combines several species of fish of the same family.

Salmon subfamily

Ray-finned fish belonging to the salmon family- bright representatives of their species, with all the distinctive features. Most of them are engaged in fishing, which occupies a leading and priority position. It is impossible not to note the taste of salmon, recognized all over the world.

Pink salmon is the most striking example. Habitat - the waters of the Pacific Ocean, the northern latitudes of the Sea of ​​Japan and Okhotsk, the shores of Kamchatka. It is relatively small and reaches a length of no more than 76 cm, the maximum weight is 5.5 kg. The appearance is changeable depending on the habitat, for example, being in open sea waters, the scales become light and acquire distinct dark spots. As with all migrants, the spawn time calls for obvious changes. Humpback salmon, descending into the rivers, acquires a brown tint, and the head and fins turn black. During the spawning period, the males grow a very noticeable hump and modify the jaw.

The salmon subfamily also includes: chum salmon, sockeye salmon, coho salmon, chinook salmon, salmon, kuzma, lake trout, char and others.

Subfamily whitefish

Whitefish are more than forty species, the key feature of which is:
- body pressed against the sides;
- small head;
- geometrically round large eyes;
- small mouth.
Whitefish have silvery scales from bluish green to brown. They can grow to a very impressive size in length and weigh over ten kilograms. The habitat is very wide from the northern part of America to Asia, while whitefishes love clean and cold water. Whitefish are predators that hunt in the cross-hairs of water, preferring depths and depressions.

Whitefish representatives are: nelma, muksun, omul, peled, European vendace, Siberian vendace, Ussuri whitefish, whitefish attracted, tugun and others.

Subfamily grayling

A subfamily of very beautiful fish. Many ichthyologists separate grayling from salmon, considering them to be isolated.

The appearance of grayling varies greatly depending on the reservoir. Usually the back is dark green, gray-green in color, a pronounced dorsal fin with many rays, up to 24 pieces. The body and peritoneum are lighter in color, there are longitudinal stripes from the head to the tail.

A distinctive feature of grayling is the bright and massive dorsal fin. Grayling is not a large individual, although it set records for a weight of more than 6.5 kg, but tails weighing 1-2 kg are more common.

He prefers clean and cold waters. The largest number of known representatives of the subspecies lives on the territory of Russia. Grayling usually settles in rivers and lakes with rocky bottom. It is found almost everywhere throughout Russia, where conditions correspond to its preferences.

Grayling includes: Siberian, late - Siberian, European, white Baikal, Kamchatka, Alaskan and Mongolian grayling. The names define the region of residence.

The life cycle of different species converges in general terms, but still differs depending on the habitat.

Salmon start spawning when they reach 4 - 6 years of age. To do this, he climbs the rapids upstream for a huge distance. Depending on the form ("spring" or "winter") fish begins to spawn in summer or late autumn. The pre-spawning period is usually spent in shallow fast rivers with a sandy bottom. During this time, the fish loses weight, the meat becomes paler. To lay eggs, the female pulls out a hole in the ground, which is poured when spawning is over. After spawning, individuals lose even more weight, and some die completely. The remainder of the herd returns downstream, or remains in quieter areas where it gains weight.

Fishing features

Salmon is caught only in rivers, because it is very difficult to get on a flock in the sea or lake. You can catch fish on a spinning rod with a hard two-handed rod, or a running bottom. It is recommended to choose a heavy bait, because fish actively bite near the bottom. When choosing the color of the bait, it is recommended to give preference to silver and red copper. The bait must be appropriate for the depth and current in the river. The most exciting and entertaining game is when the bait reaches the bottom at a 45 degree angle and is cast across the stream. After the fish hits the hook, it sinks to the bottom, shakes its head and jumps out of the water. Males can make sharp movements, twist over themselves.

Salmon is just a generic name for a large family of fish. They can live in both salt water and fresh water. All fish of this huge family have tender and delicious meat, which makes it a real delicacy (the meat is shown in the photo).

Appearance and varieties

The body length of salmon depends on the species. For example, whitefish grow only a few centimeters, and there are species that grow up to 2 meters. The weight of salmon, chinook salmon and taimen can reach up to 70 kilograms. Salmon also live in different ways. Some live only a few years, others live up to 15 years.

In structure, salmon are somewhat reminiscent of individuals from the herring order. Because of this extraordinary similarity, salmon used to be classified as herring. A separate family of salmonids was isolated quite recently. The selection of a separate family is associated with a huge abundance of species and some differences from herring. This fish is shown in more detail in the photo.

Almost all salmon have a long body that is laterally compressed. It is covered with easily falling, either round, or with a comb-like edge of cycloidal scales. Salmon differ from herring in the presence of a lateral line. The pelvic fins are located in the middle of the belly and have more than 6 rays. The pectoral fins have no rays and are low-sessile.

The mouth of the fish is bordered by the maxillary and premaxillary bones. Most salmon species have clear eyelids on their eyes. Salmon have an incompletely ossified skeleton: the skull is mostly cartilage. The lateral processes do not grow to the vertebrae. Depending on external conditions, as well as during the spawning period, salmon changes both color and shape of their body.

The entire huge family of salmonids includes the following types of fish:

Char

This fish is quite similar in appearance, a distinctive feature of which is only its habitat. Also, char is also called the orderly of reservoirs because of his gastronomic preferences.

Pink salmon grows up to 60 centimeters in length and is colored silvery. It inhabits almost the entire northern part of the globe.

Ishkhan is a resident of Lake Sevan. It is considered one of the most valuable gourmet fish. Reaches in weight up to 15 kilograms.

Chum salmon is a Far Eastern salmon. Widely distributed in the Pacific Ocean. It is a popular fishing destination. It has very large eggs over 8 millimeters in diameter.

Coho salmon, chinook salmon

The fish has white scales. Possesses very tasty meat. In the fishery, it is not very popular due to the small number of individuals.

Christiwomer North American

An exceptional inhabitant of lakes. It has 2 varieties, which differ in habitats. One species prefers to live near the surface of the water, the other sticks to depth.

The fish is listed in the Red Book. It is prized for its delicious meat and caviar. Inhabits European rivers, the White, Baltic, Black and Aral seas.

It is an object of fishing for amateur fishermen. Commercial fishing companies show little interest in him. Grows small. Average individuals weigh up to 3 kilograms.

Red salmon

This variety is also called red fish, because of the meat that is colored red. Prefers cold water. It rarely occurs if the air temperature is above 1 degree Celsius.

Salmon

A very large salmon species. It grows up to 1.5 meters in length and gains more than 40 kilograms in weight. It is considered one of the best delicacies. The people call it the royal fish.

Distribution and habitats

Pacific salmon is found in the upper horizon of the world's oceans. Here this fish appears during the migration period. They come here either from the depths or from coastal shoals. Salmon comes here to gain weight. And then he goes to spawn either back to the shoals, or to freshwater rivers or lakes where he was born.

Pacific salmon live in schools, forming huge biomasses, sometimes even exceeding the number of permanent inhabitants of the ocean. The main representatives of the Pacific salmon are chum salmon, pink salmon, coho salmon, chinook salmon and sima. Most often, this fish comes to the North Pacific Ocean, where it gathers in huge schools and actively feeds. Spawning Pacific salmon go to the rivers of the Russian Far East, as well as water bodies in Korea, Japan, North America and even Taiwan. At different times of the year, salmon live in different places, however, even with the onset of winter cold weather, it does not go beyond the subarctic waters.

Atlantic salmon, along with other species of this fish, are both resident and anadromous. Anadromous salmon are generally found in the North Atlantic Ocean. From here they go to spawn in many rivers, from Spain to the Barents Sea. Lakes in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia are rich in habitable form of this salmon.

Salmon is a very valuable commercial fish. Therefore, it is actively bred in fish farms. Some farms breed it for the purpose of organizing sport fishing, while others because of its taste. This is not surprising, because the meat of this fish is very tasty and tender, it is considered a delicacy. This fish is great for many types of dishes.

Diet

Salmon spends most of their life in the sea, where they actively feed. The fish menu includes herring, gerbil and crustaceans. Leaving for spawning in rivers and lakes, salmon completely cease to feed. Therefore, during the spawning period, the meat loses its taste, turns pale and coarse.

Young individuals, as a rule, eat zooplankton, crustaceans, insects and their larvae, and will not miss insects that have fallen into the water. He also loves to feast on vendace and smelt. To search for accumulations of this delicacy, salmon constantly moves through the reservoir. The salmon menu is directly dependent on the season, which indicates the variability of food priorities. Other types of fish, as prey, salmon are of little interest and, as a rule, this food fades into the background.

Reproduction

Salmon almost always spawn in freshwater flowing water bodies. Typically, these include rivers and streams. This interesting fact is quite understandable, since today's salmon is a descendant of freshwater fish. Thanks to the great forces of evolution, these distant ancestors evolved into anadromous fish capable of living in both salt and fresh water. This fish spends most of its life in salt water, actively feeding and gaining weight, and after 5 years it sets off on a long journey to the place where it was born in order to give life to a new generation of salmon.

As a rule, almost all anadromous fish go to spawn only once in a lifetime. After spawning, a huge amount of this fish simply dies. Typically, this life cycle is especially characteristic of the Pacific salmon. Of these, chum salmon, pink salmon, sockeye salmon and others can be distinguished.

Not all Atlantic salmon die during spawning. Some individuals are able to reproduce 4 times. There is only one recorded record. Single individuals went to spawn 5 times. However, this is the exception rather than the rule.

Before spawning begins, the fish changes greatly. The shape of the body changes greatly, the body changes color. The silvery color disappears, the fish dresses in a red mating outfit with black spots. The fish become taller and the males become hunchbacked. Hence, in fact, one of the species received the name pink salmon.

The jaws also undergo significant changes. They take on a hook-like shape, the lower one is bent up, and the upper, on the contrary, is curved down. Teeth are also greatly increased in size. Internal changes include degeneration of the liver, stomach and intestines, which makes meat less valuable, it becomes less elastic and fatty. Therefore, it is best to hunt salmon in the sea before spawning.

So, salmon is not a separate fish, as many believe, but a whole family, which includes a large number of separate species. This is a very valuable commercial fish. Salmon spends most of their life in salt water, and during the spawning period they go to the place where they were born. Salmon is prized not only for its delicious and tender meat, but also for its red caviar, which is actively harvested by poachers.

salmon photo in water

Salmon according to Wikipedia

Salmonids (lat. Salmoninae) are a subfamily of fish from the salmon family of the same name (lat. Salmonidae).

They have features common to the entire family of salmonids; from grayling, they differ in a shorter and smaller dorsal fin, which contains from 10 to 16 rays. They are brighter in color than whitefish.

Common household names “salmon” and “trout”, contrary to the stereotype, do not correspond to any species of fish. These are collective names of either a whole family or subfamily (typical for the name "salmon"), or a large group of species united by one property (trout).

Salmon itself is generally considered salmon, or salmon during spawning. On the other hand, the term “salmon” is present in the names of more than a dozen different fish species from different subfamilies, as well as in the names of two genera - Noble salmon and Pacific salmon.

The same situation is observed with the Latin names - salmo (salmon) and trutta (trout).

Scientific classification is also difficult. Due to the variability and wide distribution of species of the salmon family, scientists have developed both different classifications (see Salmoniformes) and different names (in addition to national ones, including purely scientific Latin synonyms) for the same species of this family. Moreover, the same Latin (scientific) name in different classifications may correspond to different species.

We figured out the common features. Now let's take a closer look at the life of salmon. The site russiansalmon.ru has excellent information on this matter.

How salmon live

What biological features have allowed salmon to become what it is at present - a symbol of pristine nature and a standard of gourmet food and, at the same time, a fish with an uncertain and alarming future? The ancestors of salmon once lived only in fresh waters, but then they began to go out to feed in the ocean. Thus, salmon take advantage of both fresh water, where young fish can grow up in conditions when they have few enemies, and the sea, where there is much more food. The conditions in the sea and the river are very different, so salmon change a lot during their life, as if living several lives.

The first phase of their life begins, like all other fish, with eggs, which are deposited in late summer or autumn in pebble mounds in flowing water in shallow water. Salmon caviar is very large - with a diameter of 3-4 to 7-8 mm, and develops in the cold season at low temperatures. Therefore, development continues for a very long time and juveniles usually hatch only after a few months. Young salmon spend the first months in the same place where they were born - in gravel nests, leaving them only in spring. All this time, they feed on the substances stored in the eggs, and emerge from the nests large and well prepared for independent life. That is why salmon caviar is so nutritious and delicious. The large amount of nutrients in salmon roe is another important adaptation.

Young salmon keep near the bottom for stones and feed on aquatic invertebrates, insects that have fallen into the water and everything that swims by. Fish are painted so as to be invisible to predators - with spots the color of the bottom, so at this time they are often called parr. After the parr has grown up, they slide down to the lower reaches of the river and acquire a silvery coloration and a dark back, typical of pelagic fish. If you look at such a fish from below, it merges with the light sky, and if from above - with dark water. Their bodies become more arrow-shaped, capable of fast and distant swimming, and they acquire the ability to live in salt water. These are all adaptation of salmon to life in the ocean. During this period they are called smolts. And this is the beginning of the second phase in the life of salmon.

Smolts go out to sea and first stay in estuaries near the mouths of native rivers, feeding on coastal plankton and benthos. The very first days and weeks of their life in the ocean are also the most dangerous, because here young salmon are met by numerous marine predators. In the sea, salmon gradually migrate to feeding grounds, which are located in the most productive zones - in the north Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In these areas, salmon, born in different rivers and even on different continents, gather together. Salmon grow very quickly, becoming less and less accessible to predators, and gradually become predators themselves. At the same time, along with fish, which plays an ever larger role in the nutrition of salmon, they also eat smaller food - shrimp and krill, which contain the pigment astaxanthin. This pigment is transferred from food to the muscles of salmon and gives their meat a red color. Salmon with the most red meat - sockeye salmon, which is also called "red", to a greater extent than other salmon, feeds on shrimp.

The third and final phase of salmon life begins with their return to the rivers. Most often, salmon return to the very river in which they were born. This phenomenon is called "homing" (from the English word for "house"). It is still not entirely clear how exactly salmon find their native river. Their ability to memorize the chemical composition of water undoubtedly plays a certain role here. Moreover, this ability is possessed only by young salmon already ready for sea migration - smolts. If a parr, born and lived for several years in one river, is transplanted into another, where it becomes smolt and goes out into the ocean, then, becoming an adult salmon, it will return to the second river. However, returning to your native river is not an absolute rule, as many believe. And this cannot be an absolute rule - otherwise salmon would not be able to settle.

During salmon spawning, the Adams River is flooded with scarlet fish. The key to the successful development of life on the planet is the constancy that reigns in nature.

We know much less about the marine life of salmon than about the river one. But in recent years, more and more data began to accumulate, indicating that the sea period is very important from the point of view of the formation of the number of salmon generations. The living conditions of salmon in the sea are more constant than in the river, so any changes in them can strongly affect the state of salmon populations. This is especially important now when the climate is changing rapidly. Most likely, it is with climate changes that, at least in part, a further decline in the abundance of Atlantic salmon and an increase in the abundance of Pacific salmon are associated.

The salmon returning to the river vary greatly. Their body loses its silvery color, acquiring bright colors, it becomes taller, and in males it is often humpbacked. This gave the name to one of the species - pink salmon. The jaws of salmon become hook-shaped, the teeth become larger, and the meat becomes less elastic and greasy and, accordingly, less valuable. For example, at the beginning of migration, the fat content of the Amur chum salmon is about 10%, and at spawning grounds - a fraction of a percent. The tall body and large teeth help the salmon to protect the spawning area from both their own and other species. Salmon do not feed in the river. And the fact that they are caught in the river for bait is connected only with the instincts of a predator and a defender of the territory.

Salmon spawning is the final and most crucial chord of their life, because it primarily determines how many offspring an individual and the population as a whole will leave - and this is the most important characteristic of the success of any living organism. Therefore, nothing is a pity for this. And salmon uncompromisingly follow this law - many of them give all their strength during spawning and die soon after. This fully applies not only to all Pacific salmon, but to a large extent to Atlantic salmon, although many of the spawned individuals of Atlantic salmon manage to slide into the sea, a significant number of them nevertheless die after spawning. A female Atlantic salmon is known to have spawned five times, but this is not the rule, but the exception. The fertility of salmon is not high compared to other fish - on average, from 1,500 to 7,000 thousand eggs, but adult salmon take care of the eggs, laying them in pits and then covering them with gravel, which protects the eggs from being eaten, and at first they even guard the nests.

The life cycle described above is only the most general pattern of salmon life. Different species, different populations within a species, and even different individuals within the same population can implement many variations of life strategies. And this ability to vary - another manifestation of the ability of salmon to adapt to different conditions - is largely what leads to the success of salmon as a group.

The simplest life cycle is observed in pink salmon. After spawning in August-September, eggs and fry develop for several months, emerge from nests in April-May, and just a few days later slide into the sea, returning the next summer. Thus, all fish that have returned to spawning are two years old. This is the simplest cycle among salmon. However, it is not the most primitive, quite the opposite - it is the most specialized, and the most successful from a biological point of view. This is evidenced by the fact that pink salmon is the most numerous, but also the smallest species of Pacific salmon, its weight does not exceed 1.5 - 2 kg. Besides pink salmon, chum salmon also spend very little time (days, weeks) in the river. In all other salmon, the river period lasts at least a year, and sometimes it can take two to three or even five years before the fish enter the ocean.

Many salmon species have so-called dwarf forms, most often males, which mature in the river and look like parr, almost no different from them in size. They spawn together with large individuals that came from the ocean, and although the migrant males drive them away during the fertilization of eggs, dwarf males often manage to fertilize quite a lot of eggs. Most likely, the presence of dwarf males is an adaptation of the population in an attempt to avoid increased mortality in the ocean. Therefore, it is males who require less food than females for maturation, who implement this strategy. At the same time, dwarf males, living in different conditions than migrating individuals, and being subjected to other factors of selection, are carriers of different genes. Therefore, their presence in a population increases its genetic diversity. Sometimes the entire population - both males and females - consists of individuals that spend their entire life in the river and do not reach large sizes - for example, brook trout, which are a residential form of brown trout. There are also lacustrine forms of salmon, which spawn in the river and feed in lakes, where feeding conditions are usually more favorable. Lake salmon are found, for example, in the Onega and Ladoga lakes.

The high species diversity of salmon in the Pacific Ocean basin allows them to efficiently use the available resources. For example, pink salmon, whose life is more closely related to the sea than other salmon, spawns in the lower reaches of rivers and in streams. It quickly reaches its spawning grounds and does not need large energy reserves for this, and the juveniles, after hatching, quickly slide into the sea. Therefore, pink salmon does not need to be large in size and large caviar. And the largest Pacific salmon - chinook salmon, which Americans call royal salmon, usually spawns in the very upper reaches of rivers, for which it needs large energy reserves and, accordingly, large sizes. Therefore, the chinook salmon spends up to 7 years in the sea and during this time reaches a weight of 60 kg. It often enters the rivers before other salmon, because it needs more time to reach the spawning grounds, and chinook salmon spend more time in the river. It is not surprising, therefore, that it is also the smallest of all Pacific salmon. But sockeye salmon are most adapted to breeding in lakes. In North America, where there are more large rivers and more lakes, the ratio of Pacific salmon species is shifted in comparison with our Far East towards sockeye salmon and chinook salmon, while in our country the most abundant are pink and chum salmon.

While several species of salmon coexist in the same river in the Far East, Atlantic salmon and brown trout can coexist in Europe. At the same time, several forms of Atlantic salmon are often distinguished - freezing, cutting, low water, which differ in size, fat content and timing of entry into the river. All forms are sometimes divided into "spring" and "winter". If the former enter the river and spawn in the same year, then winter crops enter the river in summer or autumn, and spawn only after a year, completely without feeding all this time. Why it is needed remains a mystery

Salmon fishing

The site tells colorfully about salmon fishing in Alaska. For starters, a fun video of salmon fishing:

The fishing footage that day was full of underwater fishing footage. Fishing in Alaska, like all tours to Alaska, keep the holidaymaker in constant emotional stress, adding new emotions and a breath of extreme to every salmon fishing trip.

The waters of Alaska are literally filled with all kinds of salmon. After overland travel, we used a small boat to alternate between boat fishing and shore fishing. Before we started fishing, we met thousands of salmon on our way. Our goal for today, in addition to satisfying the fishing passion of our clients, was underwater fishing. Salmon in Alaska, which travel up the river, are an extraordinary subject for video sketches. It doesn't matter if we caught him while resting in one of the pits or filming him in the process of resistance and attempts to free himself from the fish hook, fishing underwater is always dynamic footage.

Holidays in Alaska and salmon fishing are closely related. The remote places of the peninsula attract fans of fly fishing and spinning fishing. Salmon in Alaska is a legendary fish, famous since the days of the ancient Indians. All stocks and livestock of these fish have been preserved to this day. And you and I have the opportunity to appreciate all the advantages of this magnificent fish.

Fishing with a spinning rod with a fly this time turned out to be much more productive than fishing with a fishing rod equipped with a line. Sockeye salmon were eagerly caught in all suitable places of the river. She did not bring much work in wrestling and fishing, or maybe our hands are already used to the constant pressure of the fish on the tackle. But everything changed immediately when a silver fish sat on the hook. It was the same sockeye salmon, only entering the river from the sea no more than a day ago. Her body was still completely silver, and she had not yet had time to adapt to the fresh
water. But this quality of anadromous fish is valued as much as possible ... Serebryanka is a fish with wild strength and frenzied character. Still remembering the vastness of the ocean and having the best physical characteristics, she is a way to more than tire the angler before giving up herself.

The fishing time passes and the vacationers feel hungry. Sockeye caviar and salmon for lunch - the best food in the wild! Cooking fish roe is a responsible process that requires experience, and even more so the preparation of salmon roe. But there was a man in our team who was able to surprise not only us, but also our American comrades with the taste of this dish! Sockeye caviar, the recipe of which is simple, but original in its own way, was prepared for dinner at the table.

But you can not only catch salmon just like that. They can still be bred in special factories.

Fishing factories with salmon

Since the decline in salmon numbers has been noticed for quite some time, people have been trying for many years to find ways to restore them, and one of these ways is fish hatcheries. The first factories appeared already about one and a half centuries ago, and these were precisely salmon factories, which was associated with both the importance of this fish and its biological characteristics, which make salmon farming and raising quite simple procedures compared to many other fish species. It is especially important that young salmon, after emerging from eggs and resorption of the yolk sac, are large and well prepared for independent life.

In fish hatcheries, eggs are obtained from salmon by artificial insemination, incubated and fry are usually raised to the state of smolts. Smolts are released into the river near the mouth. The survival rate of salmon in salmon from caviar to smolt is much higher than in nature. In addition, hatchery reproduction allows you to regulate the release of juveniles and release them exactly when there are the most suitable conditions for this, in particular, feeding conditions. At the same time, the viability of hatchery salmon is often lower than that of wild salmon due to differences in conditions in the factories from those to which they are adapted, as well as due to the fact that the most adapted, and not random individuals survive in natural conditions. Such selection is practically absent in factories.

In some cases, fish hatcheries are a necessity. This takes place where the conditions for natural reproduction are significantly disturbed or completely lost. Unfortunately, this is now the rule in very many cases. For example, the salmon of the Narva River completely disappeared after the construction of the power plant in the 1950s. and was restored only thanks to the fish hatchery. Fish hatcheries can also play a positive role in the case of intensive poaching that occurs in spawning grounds. Currently, about 15% of all salmon are raised in fish hatcheries.

To preserve and restore the number of Baltic salmon, as part of the fulfillment of the state task for the artificial reproduction of aquatic biological resources, in the spring of this year, the Narva fish hatchery released yearlings of this type of fish in the river. Narva, in the amount of 138 thousand pieces.



Since September 4 of the current year, super-planned juveniles of Baltic salmon are released into the Narva River from the Narva fish hatchery of the FSBI "Sevzaprybvod". In total, the plant plans to produce from 30,000 to 50,000 juveniles in September, according to the assistant to the head of the North-Western Territorial Administration of the Federal Agency for Fisheries.

At the same time, it should be understood that commercial reproduction cannot fully replace wild salmon. After all, being a symbol of wildlife, salmon turns out to be inseparable from their natural habitat and their way of life. Excluding natural spawning, this wonderful fish ceases to be a cultural symbol either.

There is another danger in fish hatcheries. After leaving the factories, the salmon go into the sea, where they feed along with wild salmon of their own and other species. And since the possibilities of the ocean are not endless, hatchery salmon are competing with wild ones. It is possible, for example, that the intensive reproduction of chum salmon at fish hatcheries in Japan has led to a decrease in the number of natural populations of chum salmon. The role of fish hatcheries is also changing in the context of the large-scale development of salmon cage culture, when the production of salmon meat in itself has become a fairly simple task. With such a rapid growth in cultivation, factory reproduction, especially with the aim of obtaining marketable products, and not considered as a temporary measure to restore wild populations, should gradually lose its significance.

Salmon recipes

Cheese and salmon tartare from tvcook.ru

The roots of this gorgeous dish go back to the distant past of Tatar cuisine, when wild warriors ate raw meat cut into slices, aged for 1 day under a horse's saddle. But keeping pace with progress, they began to call tartar any dishes prepared from raw vegetables, poultry, fish, beef or pork, which were previously seasoned with a certain set of spices, herbs and oils. Today we are happy to share with you a great version of this dish with hints of French cuisine - Cheese and salmon tartare!

Ingredients for making cheese and salmon tartare.

Representatives of the salmon family are considered the most common inhabitants of the oceans of the northern hemisphere. Below the equator it is quite rare. Salmon species are prized for their tasty, healthy meat. And besides, salmon are a source of delicious red caviar, which is loved almost all over the world.

Description, habitat and spawning

The first mentions of salmon fish species date back to the Mesozoic era. Of course since then appearance has changed a lot and the number of subspecies has increased. All representatives have similarities. The body of the fish is elongated and laterally compressed. The fins are located in the middle of the abdomen. The scales of these fish are round, but in some species it is small, while in others it is large.

Another distinctive feature of salmonids is the adipose fin.

Body length can vary from twenty centimeters to two and a half meters. And the mass can reach 100 kilograms. The average lifespan of individuals does not exceed 10 years, but some representatives, for example, taimen, can live up to 50 years.

Representatives of the family can be found in both fresh and salt water. Individuals prefer cold waters... In North Africa and southern Europe, they can be found in artificial reservoirs. Fish cannot survive under natural conditions.

In Russia, salmon can be found in the Far East. Many species, such as chum salmon, pink salmon and coho salmon, come to Sakhalin annually to spawn. Some fishermen claim that the rivers of the peninsula are teeming with fish.

Spawning of individuals takes place in fresh water bodies, regardless of their permanent habitat. All fish return to where they were born. That is why the species living in the seas and oceans are called anadromous. Usually fish go to spawn at the age of 2-3 years.

Individuals that live in the Pacific Ocean die immediately after spawning. Their gastrointestinal tract atrophies, therefore, after spawning, individuals cannot return to the ocean. Fishing during spawning is strictly prohibited. Individuals that live in the Atlantic Ocean do not always die after spawning. Some of them can spawn 3-4 times per life.

It is known that the appearance of the fish changes before spawning. In males, a hump can grow on the back, red and black spots appear on the back and abdomen. Some fishermen claim that chum salmon and pink salmon can turn almost black before spawning.

Classification of fish of the salmon family

The list of species is quite long. The carp family is considered to be just as numerous. Experts distinguish 3 subspecies:

  • Salmon. Individuals of this species reach medium to large sizes. They are characterized by a large head with large teeth and small scales. This subspecies includes salmon, trout, pink salmon, coho salmon, sockeye salmon and some other species.
  • Grayling. The main difference between the subspecies is the presence of a large fin on the back. Representatives live only in cold northern rivers and lakes. Talking about this subspecies, Mongolian and Siberian grayling are most often remembered. These names are known to all fishermen from Siberia.
  • Whitefish. Representatives of the subspecies live in freshwater reservoirs. River fish are distinguished by a small jaw and large scales. However, the difference between the representatives is obvious. No fisherman will mistake a peled, teal or whitefish.

Speaking about the list of salmon fish, most people mean the representatives of the first subspecies, they are better known. Some people call all red fish salmon. What kind of fish is sold in the store, not everyone knows, because they do not understand the difference between salmon and ordinary pink salmon.

Characteristics of different species

Salmon is considered the most valuable member of the family. Individuals can reach a length of 2.5 meters and weigh 100 kilograms. In many countries, salmon are bred artificially. According to its characteristics, the meat of fish grown under artificial conditions is much inferior in quality to the meat of wild individuals. The body of the salmon is covered with small silvery scales. During spawning, bright red spots appear on the body. At this time, females and males practically refuse to eat, therefore, most often, after throwing eggs, they die.

Far Eastern pink salmon is very popular in Russia because of the affordable price. It is found in all seas of the Far East. Pink salmon can be easily distinguished by the presence of small silvery scales and spots on the belly. As a rule, individuals grow up to 70 centimeters. During spawning, the color of the scales changes to black and dark blue. The fish is ready for breeding at the age of 4 years, after throwing eggs it dies. The caviar of this species is considered very valuable, since it has an interesting taste and large size - the diameter of the eggs ranges from 5 to 8 millimeters.

Chum salmon is very similar to pink salmon. The length of individuals ranges from 70 to 90 centimeters. Spawning can take place both in summer and autumn. During spawning, the fish look frightening: a hump appears on the back, and the body is covered with black scales.

Trout is considered a very expensive fish. This is due to the small population. Individuals can only live in clean water.

Until now, scientists do not know how many subspecies live on earth. Now the following varieties are distinguished:

  • Scottish;
  • American;
  • European;
  • alpine.

Depending on the habitat, scientists distinguish lake and. It can be found both in natural and artificial reservoirs. Many owners of paid ponds put fry of this noble fish into the water to attract fishermen.

Coho salmon also belongs to the salmon family. It lives in the Pacific Ocean, and goes to spawn in the rivers of North America. Sometimes individuals travel hundreds of kilometers inland to return to the place where they themselves were born. Usually individuals reach a length of 70 centimeters. During spawning, the color of the scales turns bright crimson. Individuals spawn between November and March.

Chinook salmon is a very large fish. Body weight can reach 70 kilograms already at the age of five. Most often, individuals can be found along the American coast, but spawning takes place in the rivers of the Far East. Meat of this type is considered very tasty and healthy, therefore the catch is carried out on an industrial scale. Amateur fishermen also dream of catching such a fish, but it is rather difficult to do it.

Regardless of the type, meat and have many valuable substances that are extremely useful for the human body. At the same time, they have an excellent taste, therefore, most of the representatives of this family, both sea and river and lake, are considered a delicacy.

Attention, only TODAY!

Their meat has pronounced beneficial properties, as it contains Omega-3 fatty acids. Their intake with food into the human body reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood, which means it helps to prevent various diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Family Description

The Salmon family includes fish with a rather oblong, scaled body. Their head is naked, antennae are absent. The main distinguishing feature of this family of fish is the presence of an adipose fin that does not have rays. They also have a dorsal fin with 10 to 16 rays. The eyes of fish of the Salmon family are covered with transparent eyelids. In females, eggs from the ovaries enter the body cavity, and from there through special holes into the water. There are different types, but they all have one feature. Individuals are able to change their appearance depending on the living conditions, as well as their own.For example, their appearance becomes different during spawning. Males are especially susceptible to changes, which acquire a kind of mating outfit. Their color turns from gray to spotty, with areas of black, red or bright crimson shades. The skin coarsens, scales grow into it. The jaws are curved, the teeth grow. A hump appears on the back. Researchers have different versions of the appearance of breeding plumage in fish. Some associate this with a return to the appearance of their ancestors, others - to the action of hormones, while others believe that such a transformation allows them to attract females.

Classification

The Salmon family, whose representatives have very tasty and nutritious meat, are divided into two subfamilies:

  • Salmon proper;
  • Whitefish.

Representatives of the whitefish subfamily are distinguished by a small mouth, larger scales and structural features of the skull. Fish belonging to the Salmon family are classified, and by belonging to a particular genus:

  • Pacific salmon are found in the Pacific Ocean Basin. They have scales of medium size or small, large red-orange eggs. The peculiarity of the life of these fish lies in their death after spawning. Types of salmon fish belonging to the Pacific genus: chum salmon, pink salmon, coho salmon, chinook salmon, sockeye salmon.
  • True salmon have a shorter, less ray-containing fin than their Pacific counterparts. Juveniles have teeth on the back of the vomer bone. These fish also change their usual appearance to “mating attire” during the spawning season, but do not die after it. They live in the northern parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. You can find them in the Black, Aral, Caspian and Baltic seas. Real salmon are characterized by brightly colored scales.
  • Loaches are also part of the Salmon family; the list of their names, however, is not as long as that of Pacific salmon. This genus is similar to real salmon, but its representatives do not have teeth on the vomer bone, as well as a bright spotted color.

Pink salmon

An important commercial fish of the Salmon family is pink salmon. It is the most abundant representative of the Pacific salmon. Salmon of this species are medium-sized, reaching a maximum length of 76 cm, their maximum weight is 5.5 kg. Inhabits the north of the Sea of ​​Japan, off the coast of Kamchatka, in. The appearance of pink salmon changes depending on the place of its residence. While in the sea, the fish has light-colored scales, and there are many small dark spots on the back. As spawning approaches and descends into rivers, pink salmon (salmon, as we have already said, change their appearance during this period) becomes brown, the head and fins are almost black. Only the belly retains its former light color. In males, a huge hump grows in the back area, the jaws on which teeth appear are greatly modified.

The lifespan of pink salmon is approximately 18 months. In the second year, almost all individuals become sexually mature, preparing for spawning. It takes place from June to September, the time depends on the habitat. Spawning grounds are located on river sites located quite close to the sea. In this regard, the way to them takes much less time for pink salmon than for other representatives of the Pacific salmon. The optimum water temperature in rivers during spawning is from 6 to 14 degrees. The eggs laid by females form a spawning mound. At the end of September, the larvae begin to emerge, which continues, depending on the spawning period, until January. From April to July, fry move into the sea. First, they are located at river mouths, then they are distributed along coastal waters. By October, their period of life at sea usually begins.

Chum

Another fish important in the commercial sense is chum salmon, a photo of which can be found in school biology textbooks. She lives throughout the North Pacific Ocean. The fish has a silvery color that changes as spawning approaches. The scales darken, brown stripes appear on the body. By the beginning of spawning, the fish almost completely turns black, even the palate and tongue change color. The chum salmon, photo of which was taken during the feeding period, is fundamentally different from the one that was captured during the entry into the rivers. Representatives of this species are divided into summer and autumn individuals. Summer chum salmon go to spawn in early July - mid-August. It reaches a maximum length of 80 cm. Autumn chum salmon grows up to 1 m, its mass is also greater than that of a summer individual. Such fish spawn in late August - early September. Chum salmon rises much further along the rivers than pink salmon, the journey often takes a lot of time. Because of this, fish often spawn under the ice crust. At the same time, for the offspring of summer chum salmon, there is a possibility of death due to deep freezing of small rivulets, where it lays its eggs. Autumn chum salmon spawn in places where groundwater flows out, which do not freeze so much, therefore, its fry survive until spring, when they come out of spawning mounds and go down into the sea.

Red salmon

There are many species of fish in the Salmon family. Representatives of the genus of Pacific salmon are sockeye salmon. This fish is most widespread in the region of the American Pacific coast. The largest number was recorded in Alaska. On the territory of our country, sockeye salmon is much less common than chum salmon or pink salmon. This fish comes mainly in Anadyr. Also, this valuable fish of the Salmon family visits the Kurilskie rivers, Its meat is bright red, with an excellent, rich taste.

During its marine life, sockeye salmon have a silvery body color, only on the back are dark blue stripes. Her appearance changes dramatically during the mating season. Fish draw attention to themselves with bright red sides, green heads and scarlet fins. There is practically no black salmon and chum salmon, characteristic of the breeding plumage, in the color of the sockeye salmon. There are only small black spots on the tail or body. Spawning begins early, usually in May or June, and continues until late summer. At the same time, most of the fry descend into the sea only the next year after hatching, which occurs in the middle of winter. Some individuals stay in rivers for up to 3 years. True, there are also those who descend into the sea already in the year of hatching. Sockeye salmon reaches sexual maturity by the age of 6.

Coho

Coho salmon most of all of the Pacific salmon loves warmth. It is not widespread on the territory of our country; on the Asian coast of the Pacific Ocean, mainly single entries of these fish into rivers are noted. Quite often found only in Kamchatka. A distinctive feature of the coho salmon is its bright silvery scales. During spawning, it turns crimson. In length, coho salmon can reach about 84 cm, the average size of individuals is 60 cm. Coho salmon emerge late for spawning - at the end of September. This period lasts until about March. Often spawning takes place under the ice crust. After hatching, the fry live in the river for 1-2 years, and then slide into the sea. This period of life in coho salmon is short. Already in the third year of existence, individuals become sexually mature and die after spawning.

Chinook salmon

Chinook salmon is the largest member of the Salmon family. Its length is on average 90 cm, but there are also much larger individuals weighing up to 50 kg. Despite this, in our country, chinook salmon does not have an important commercial value, since its number in Russia is small. Chinook salmon can be seen on the Asian coast of the Pacific Ocean only in the rivers of Kamchatka, where it comes to spawn. It starts already in mid-May and continues throughout the summer. Chinook salmon spawns without difficulty in strong currents, since, due to its size, it is able to perfectly resist it. With its tail, it makes holes in the pebbles, where it lays its eggs. The fry live in the river for a long time, then slide into the sea. This period of life of a chinook salmon takes from 4 to 7 years.

Noble salmon

The noble salmon is often called salmon. It is a massive fish, reaching a length of about 1.5 meters. Its weight is up to 39 kg. The color of the noble salmon is silver, only above the lateral line there are a few dark spots, resembling the letter "X" in their shape. On the sides of the body, the scales have a bluish tint. While walking in the sea, salmon feeds on small fish and crustaceans. With the beginning, they stop eating altogether and descend into the rivers considerably thinner. The wedding attire is not very expressive. It consists in darkening of the scales on the body and the appearance of orange spots. Spawning takes place, depending on the habitat of the fish, in autumn or winter. Salmon caviar ripens slowly, and fry emerge from it only in late spring - early summer. At the same time, they remain to live in fresh waters for a long time. The time they go to sea varies from 1 to 5 years. Adults do not always die after spawning; some fish, despite their large and frayed fins, can return to the sea. There they are quickly eaten away and restored, although re-spawning is observed in the noble salmon extremely rarely. These fish live up to 13 years.

Brown trout

Trout, or taimen salmon, can be distinguished from noble salmon by their color. The spots on her body are located both above and below the lateral line. There are round black specks on the head and dorsal fin. The trout lives in the Black, Baltic, Aral seas. However, it does not make extensive migrations there, since it is significantly tied to fresh water. The length of the trout reaches from 30 to 70 cm with a body weight of 1 to 5 kg. Unlike noble salmon, taimen salmon, when they go out to spawn, continue to feed, although not as intensively as in the sea. The fry ripen from 3 to 7 years, after which they go out to sea.

Lake trout

Lake trout is a brown trout that does not go beyond rivers and lakes. These fish live in clear and cold water and spawn in fast flowing rivers flowing into lakes. Trout resembles brown trout with its color during feeding. During spawning, the color changes, a mating outfit appears. In females, light scales darken; in males, dark orange stripes also appear on it. The color of the fins also changes. In females, they become darker, and in males, the pelvic fin becomes pink or bright orange.

Char

There are also some salmon fish, the names of which are directly related to their appearance. Loaches, for example, get their name from the small scales that make their bodies appear naked. They are quite widespread. In Magadan and Kamchatka, there are about 10 species of these fish, which are part of the Salmon family. Loaches can be both anadromous, which feed in the sea, and inhabited. The latter may never go out to sea, some in general are in lakes all their lives, and spawning takes place in stagnant water.