Common name : Atlantic Salmon
Scientific name : Salmo salar
Family : Salmonidae
Native to : North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
Interesting fact : The age of a salmon can be determined by the rings on the otolith, its earbone.
Conservation status : Least Concern
Salmons, being anadromous, are born in freshwater, migrate to the ocean and then return to the birth spot to spawn. Due to periods of rapid growth in summer followed by a period of slower growth in winter, rings form around its earbone, called the otolith. They feed on terrestrial and aquatic insects, amphipods, crustaceans and fish. Lifespan is 3-8 years.