Overview
Going for a walk in the springtime along a river, stream or wetland- you may see a peculiar sight.
You see fish jumping out of the water trying to go upstream.
Upon closer inspection you will realize these fish are the “king of fish” themselves – the Atlantic Salmon.
These large fish go through various stages where they begin their lives and end them usually in our rivers and tributaries.
While the adult populations live mainly in deeper waters like the Atlantic Ocean and our Great Lakes.
This fish can grow to approximately 72 cm in length!
Did you know? Only 15-35% of the eggs born will reach the fry stage of life. These percentages grow lower and lower with each stage of this fish’s life.
In Ontario, the Atlantic Salmon became extinct near the beginning of the 20th century due to overfishing.
However thanks to conservation efforts, this species has bounced back in Lake Ontario and can now be seen throughout the year in rivers further north in the winter- and in Lake Ontario during the summer.
Some populations of Atlantic Salmon do not go into the ocean due to their current ecosystems allowing them to stay in freshwater systems.
This is the case currently with our population of Atlantic Salmon as they mainly stay in Lake Ontario and travel further upstream for their spawning.
Habitat
Atlantic Salmon can be found all over the Atlantic coastal areas as that is their primary ecological habitat.
From the shores of Quebec to the northernmost point of Finland, these fish inhabit a large area of the ocean.
However they can also inhabit freshwater areas, particularly in Canada, these fish seem to thrive in our freshwater habitats due to the quality that we keep our water sources in.
Found On These ForestQuests
Threats
The Canadian Government considers this species not at risk due to how hard it is to count its population.
However, this fish has seen a bounce back in many areas where conservation and governments have worked together.
As mentioned above, Lake Ontario has begun the process of reintroducing Atlantic Salmon to our lake area so that the food chain and ecosystem can rebuild itself.
But this fish is also highly sensitive to water pollution and the further we develop near water- the harder it will be for these fish to survive in our waters.
Citations:
https://www.theweathernetwork.com/en/video/YOzBcsOR?playlist=JRE9lq9q
https://www.bringbackthesalmon.ca/
https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/blog/archive/atlantic-salmon-lake.html
https://www.ontario.ca/page/atlantic-salmon
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/cosewic-assessments-status-reports/atlantic-salmon/chapter-1.html
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep36249
https://trca.ca/conservation/aquatic-habitat-toronto/projects/salmon-in-toronto-and-gta-waters/