Ontario-Great Lakes Area Fact Sheets

Atlantic Salmon

General Description

The atlantic salmon is the classic anadromous fish and has the following characteristics:

• an elongate, slightly laterally compressed body;
• a rounded snout, and a hook develops on the lower jaw in breeding males;
• in the sea, the back and top of the head may be brown, green or blue, the sides silvery and the underside silvery white;
• on entering freshwater, the adults become darker in colour and lose their silvery appearance;
• at spawning time, they become bronze to dark brown with sometimes reddish spots on the body and head, and the colour of the pectoral and caudal fins may darken;
• after spawning, male and female salmon darken in colour and may be referred to as “black salmon”.

Distribution

The atlantic salmon is native to the basin of the North Atlantic Ocean. In Canada, the atlantic salmon occurs naturally throughout Newfoundland, Labrador, the Maritime Provinces, eastern Quebec and the Ungava region of northern Quebec. There are a number of landlocked populations throughout the distribution, especially in Newfoundland, Labrador and Quebec. It was introduced in the Pacific southwest and the Pacific southeast.

Habitat and Life History

The atlantic salmon is a cold-water species and like most migratory fishes, it has a different habitat for each stage of its life history. Marine atlantic salmon return from the sea to freshwater streams to spawn. Landlocked or permanently freshwater salmon move from the lake to tributary streams to spawn and then return to the lake. In Canada, atlantic salmon spawn in October and November, depending on the region. During their upstream migration, they have the ability to surmount obstacles to reach the spawning grounds. The spawning site is usually a gravel-bottom riffle area above or below a pool. The female excavates the redd (nest) with her caudal fin and, when spawning is completed, she covers the eggs with gravel. The eggs hatch in about 110 days, and the young eventually emerge from the gravel in May or June. The young remain in the rapid water until they are about 65 mm (2.5 inches) long. The age at which parr go to sea, as smolts, varies with the regions, from 2 or 3 years old in the Maritimes to 4 - 8 years old in the Ungava region of Quebec. When at sea, they may remain within the estuary or travel at least 2400 km (1500 miles) as far as Greenland.

Food Habits

Marine atlantic salmon feed on a variety of organisms including crustaceans and fishes, such as smelt, herring and small mackerel and cod. Young salmon in streams feed mainly on aquatic insect larvae.

Economic Importance

The atlantic salmon is world renowned both as an excellent game and commercial fish species. It has been exploited for centuries and in Canada, it was one of the first fishes in the Great Lakes region to disappear due to the effects of environmental pollution and hydro-electric dam construction on spawning streams. Repeated attempts have been made to reintroduce the species to the Great Lakes.

Fishing Facts

One of the greatest threats to the continued survival of anadromous salmon stocks is the high seas fishery.

Further Information

For further information, please contact your local DFO office: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/oceans-habitat/habitat/aboutus-apropos/regions/arctic-arctique_e.asp?#1