All salmon are born in rivers streams and all of them return to the same river or stream they were born in to give birth to a new generation of salmon. As they can locate their specific natal spawning grounds, they have to swim upstream to get there.
What do salmon eat when they travel upstream?
Once the salmon start upstream toward the spawning grounds, they do not feed but derive energy from stored fats. The distance salmon travel upstream to spawn varies.
How long does it take salmon to migrate upstream?
On average, it takes salmon two to three weeks to make their way upstream and reach their spawning ground. Of course, the amount of time highly depends on the river system the salmon migrate through. It can take more days if the fish encounter plenty of obstacles on their way up and fewer days if the river current is below average.
Why salmon swim upstream?
Salmon swim upstream to mate and lay their eggs for several reasons. Laying their eggs in small rivers and shallow waters help protect them from larger fish that would happily eat them as a snack in the ocean. The shallow streams and rivers also provide shelter for the eggs so they don’t get washed away by heavy currents.
Salmon need water temperatures between 40 and 55F to lay their eggs, which is why most salmon will wait until fall or early winter before they commence with Oxygen Levels. Type of spawning habitat, and type of salmon important too.
Also, does salmon really swim upstream?
The answer is that salmon and other fish swim upstream because they must make the journey for reproductive purposes. Salmon and a number of other fish, including coho and rainbow trout, follow a familiar scent that leads them back to the location of their birth.
The fishes which swim upstream from sea to freshwater are called Anadromous fishes. Amongst them are Sturgeon also called Acipenser, Shad (Alosa), sea trout, Salmon (Salmo salar) and Hilsa (Hilsa ilisha). These fishes undertake this migration for breeding.
Why do salmon go to the sea?
The short answer to this is “to spawn”. Salmon are born in freshwater, usually in cool fast-flowing water. They live in the river for about two years before making their way out to sea. In the case of Atlantic salmon (salmo salar) populations in Britain, they migrate to the seas around Greenland, where they normally spend one to two years.