There are many, many different kinds of salmon. In this article, we will only talk about the 7 different kinds that are found in the Pacific Ocean (the last two are only found in Asian waters): Chinook, Chum, Coho, Pink, Sockeye, Masu, and Amago. Salmon are such amazing, unique fish. Unlike their other fish cousins, salmon are considered anadromous. And what does that mean, you might ask? It means that salmon begin their life in fresh water, move to salt water, then return to fresh water to spawn. Other fish can only handle one or the other, but salmon can change their body chemistry to adapt to both types of water. Another unique trait that makes a salmon a Pacific salmon is the fact that they are semelparous. Yet another big word, semelparous means that these sorts of salmon die after they spawn. Atlantic salmon, on the other hand, can spawn more than once. What else makes salmon such an amazing fish? They are world-class travelers! One salmon that was tagged in the central Aleutian Islands in Alaska was recovered a year later in Salmon River, Idaho. That fish's journey was more than 3,500 miles--which is more than the distance from the west coast of the US to the east coast!

What and How They Eat: What a salmon eats depends on what kind of salmon they are and where they are in the world. Typically, juvenile salmon eat zooplankton, larval, and adult invertebrates. In the ocean, when they are adults, salmon eat krill and smaller fish like herring.

Making Babies: Salmon begin and end their lives in fresh water. Baby salmon are born in fresh water, and then stay there for 1-3 years as juveniles until they are strong enough to make the journey into salt water. As adults, usually in 1-7 years depending on the type, salmon feel the urge to make babies (called spawning). It is now that they return to the fresh water area where they were born. Spawning usually happens around the fall season. How exactly salmon remember where to go is still a mystery, as they can be thousands of miles away from their homes when they sense the need to spawn. Once home, female salmon pick out sites for their nest(s), called a redd. They then dig into the gravel with their tails and lay several thousand eggs (anywhere from 2,500 to 7,000 eggs). Male salmon fertilize the eggs. Then the female salmon uses her tail to bury her eggs in the ground. Both adults hover over the redd site to guard their eggs until they die.

The babies will hatch late in the winter. At this time, they are called alevin, and usually spend about a year in this area feeding off live prey. Some salmon spend very little time here and return to the ocean as fry. Next, the smolt stage occurs. This is when juvenile salmon swim downstream and undergo major physiological changes in order to adapt to a salt water environment, a process called smolting. These young salmon hang out in estuaries, where salt and fresh water meet, in order to get their bodies ready to tackle the ocean.

Pacific salmon migrate to the North Pacific ocean, traveling in schools. They will not return to their fresh water homes until it's time for them to spawn.

Pacific Salmon Stats:

Interesting Pacific Salmon Facts:

• A Tail with Two Homes: Salmon are anadromous fish, which means that they begin their lives in fresh water, spend most of their lives in the ocean, and then return to their fresh water homes to spawn (make babies).
• Amazing Instincts: No matter where they are in the ocean, salmon can always find their way home. Still a mystery as to how they can do this, some scientists believe it has to do with a very smart sense of smell. That's right! Some scientists think that salmon can smell their way home.
• Salmon Fangs!: Chum salmon, a special kind of Pacific salmon, are also called Dog salmon. This nickname was given for two reasons: (1) native Alaskans used to feed chum salmon to their dogs, and (2) male salmon can develop large dog-like "fangs." Imagine that!
• Changing Appearances: When salmon are ready to spawn, they don't eat and their entire body changes. Their color changes, their jaws become hooks, and they develop humps on their backs. 

 Threats to Pacific Salmon:

• Human Development: Stream channels, road construction, timber harvesting, mining, and other forms of human activity can degrade salmon spawning and rearing habitats.
• Dams & Reservoirs: Dams kill about 50% of young salmon and 20% of adult salmon. Dams and reservoirs make it far more difficult for salmon to make their way to and from the ocean. In Washington's Snake and Columbia rivers, salmon must pass through 8 dams, which kills anywhere from 80-95% of salmon. In addition, 70% of these two major rivers have been converted to reservoirs.
• Overfishing: Overfishing has lead to a decline in salmon stocks.

• Prevent obstructing salmon spawning sites by reducing human development on creeks, streams, and rivers. Remember, salmon do not eat when they are returning to spawn, so we don't want make their journey any longer than it needs to be!
• Be alert of fishing regulations. Overfishing can make salmon populations even smaller!
• Be an active supporter of salmon conservation by volunteering at the Friends of Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (FISH) or your local Department of Fish & Wildlife.