Atlantic salmon — printable fact sheet

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Atlantic salmon

Salmo salar

The Atlantic salmon is a large, migratory fish known for its incredible journey from freshwater rivers to the open ocean and back. Sleek and silver with distinctive black spots, these fish can leap remarkable heights to navigate waterfalls and obstacles during their spawning mig…

Classification

Fish

Family

Salmonidae

Habitat

Freshwater rivers and coastal North Atlantic Ocean

Diet

Carnivore

Conservation status

Least Concern (global), but many wild populations are Vulnerable or Endangered locally

Lifespan

3-8 years

Weight

3.5–12 kg (7.7–26 lbs), occasionally up to 24 kg (53 lbs)

Scientific name

Salmo salar

Did you know?

Atlantic salmon undergo dramatic physical changes, called smoltification, to adapt from freshwater to saltwater environments.
Atlantic salmon can travel thousands of kilometers across the ocean and return to the exact river where they were born to spawn. They are able to jump over obstacles more than 3 meters (10 feet) high. Unlike Pacific salmon, some Atlantic salmon survive spawning and may return to the sea to repeat the migration cycle.

What I learned

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