Atlantic salmon can live in both freshwater and seawater.
COMPLETE SPECIES PROFILE
Atlantic salmon
Salmo salar
One species, many connections.
Also known as: Atlantic salmon, sea-run salmon
WHY IT MATTERS
One species, many connections.
Salmon move marine nutrients into rivers and forests and connect ocean conditions with watershed health.
- Scientific name
- Salmo salar
- Animal group
- Vertebrate · Actinopterygii
- Environment
- Freshwater · Marine
PUBLIC-DOMAIN VISUAL RECORDS
Two additional perspectives
Together with the primary image, these records show behavior and habitat without covering the photographs with labels.
INTERACTIVE TAXONOMY
Interactive classification
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DID YOU KNOW?
Curiosities that reveal how it lives
Many adults return toward the river system where they hatched.
Their bodies change as they prepare for migration.
Spawning salmon transport ocean-derived nutrients upstream.
Where it lives
Cold rivers for spawning and juvenile growth, followed by years in the North Atlantic.
How it lives
Aquatic insects when young; fish and marine invertebrates at sea.
Key adaptations
Physiological changes allow movement between fresh and salt water, and olfaction helps adults return toward natal rivers.
Its connections
Salmon move marine nutrients into rivers and forests and connect ocean conditions with watershed health.
Pressures and protection
Dams, warming rivers, habitat loss, pollution, aquaculture interactions, and changing ocean conditions.