III.

Atlantic Salmon

The orange-red flesh of the Atlantic salmon is highly valued as food. The fish average about 3.6 to 5.5 kg (8 to 12 lb) in weight, but specimens weighing up to 38 kg (84 lb) have been caught. The Atlantic salmon migrates from the sea into cold fresh water in late spring or early summer, swimming upriver at an average rate of up to 6.4 km (4 mi) per day. The female lays as many as 20,000 eggs in October or November, after which time the adult salmon float downstream and return to the sea. An Atlantic salmon returning to its spawning ground for the first time is known as a grilse. After spawning, it is known as a kelt. The Atlantic salmon returns year after year to its breeding place and can live for up to eight years.

Several subspecies of Atlantic salmon live in lakes without ever descending to sea. These landlocked salmon are much smaller than migrating salmon, attaining a maximum weight of about 16 kg (about 35 lb). The two most important landlocked populations of the Atlantic salmon are the Sebago salmon, found in lakes of the northern United States, and the ouananiche of Lac Saint-Jean, Canada.