Atlantic Salmon

Identification

The Atlantic salmon is a powerfully built fish with a torpedo-shaped body, small head, and forked tail. The back is steel blue to greenish, the flanks silvery with scattered black spots above the lateral line. Young salmon (parrs) have prominent dark crossbars. During the spawning run, males develop a reddish-brown flank and a pronounced hook on the lower jaw (the kype). Can reach 120 cm and over 15 kg, but Dutch specimens are typically 60-90 cm.

Behavior & ecology

The salmon has one of the most impressive life cycles of any European fish. Born in fast-flowing river headwaters, the young salmon (smolt) migrates to the Atlantic Ocean after 1-3 years. There it grows to an adult in 1-4 years, sometimes traveling as far as Greenland. The salmon then returns to the exact same river where it was born to spawn. Unlike Pacific salmon, some Atlantic salmon survive spawning and return to the sea.

In the Netherlands

Salmon was a commonly caught fish in the Rhine and Maas until the early 20th century — Rhine salmon was famous throughout Europe. Overfishing, water pollution, and weir construction caused complete disappearance. Since the 1990s, the "Salmon back in the Rhine" reintroduction program has been running successfully. Our database holds 328 records. The species is protected and every caught specimen must be released immediately.