Once young salmon are ready to migrate to the ocean, their appearance changes ; their vertical barring disappears and they become silvery with nearly black backs and white bellies. When adults return to freshwater to spawn, they are very bright silver. After entering the river, they will again darken to a bronze color before spawning in the fall.
Their kidneys, gills and skin change to regulate the water and salt balance in their cells. To save energy, they lose the slime coating that helps protect them; their skin becomes thick and leathery, and they absorb their scales. The salmon’s appearance changes dramatically, with males and females developing distinct differences.
Salmon are pink in color and have spots on their fins and back. The adult specimens have a long and slender body, and usually females are larger than males. This species and the trout are similar in appearance.
Another common inquiry is “Why do salmon change color when they spawn?”.
We can find out! Salmon change color to attract a spawning mate. Pacific salmon use all their energy for returning to their home stream, for making eggs, and digging the nest. Most of them stop eating when they return to freshwater and have no energy left for a return trip to the ocean after spawning.
What color should salmon be?
Study the salmon’s color. While the fish should be an opaque white, beige, or brown on the outside depending on the cooking method, it should still be a slightly translucent pink in the center. If the center of the salmon is opaque, it’s likely overcooked.
Wild salmon get their naturally pink-orange color by eating krill and shrimp; meanwhile, their farmed cousins get color from pinkifying pellets. You know the Crayola crayon color “salmon”? That reddish-orange is the color of wild salmon flesh, sure, but it’s most definitely not the color of farmed salmon flesh.
Does the salmon have color additives?
“Color added” on a label for salmon and salmon products means that the salmon were given a feed which contains a pigment called astaxanthin. When the feed is digested, the astaxanthin is absorbed into the fish’s flesh giving the fillets or steaks a reddish or ‘salmon’ color.
What happens to salmon when they transition from saltwater to freshwater?
Salmon undergo a physical transformation during their transition from the saltwater environment back to the freshwater home of their birth. This transition affects the appearance of the fish very radically. Not only do they stop feeding, but they also undergo a color and shape change.
Can you eat salmon after they spawn?
While you can technically eat post-spawn salmon, their deteriorated and exhausted state means that their meat is of very poor quality and that they do not taste very good. Additionally, as many fish already enter a state of decay, eating post-spawn salmon can actually be hazardous to your health.
What happens to a salmon when it stops feeding?
This transition affects the appearance of the fish very radically. Not only do they stop feeding, but they also undergo a color and shape change. The male salmon typically forms a curved mouth (called a kype) with large canine like teeth. The males of some species form a hump on their back during their transition.