Life Cycle of the Salmon
The life cycle of the salmon as explained in the video is an incredible journey that begins in freshwater streams. Female salmon prepare nests, called redds, by cleaning and shaping gravel into shallow indentations. They deposits thousands of eggs in their nests and their mate follows closely behind and fertilizes the eggs. The fresh, cool water helps bring fresh oxygen to the eggs and eventually a fry is born from the egg. They are born with the yolk still attached, which they need for nourishment. At this point they live in the shallow "backwater and stream waters". As they grow to be an inch long they are called fingerlings. Once they are large enough they leave the shallows and move into the deep channels where they use large rocks and wood for safety and shade. Smolting is the next stage as the baby salmon are big enough to travel in schools and they head down river for the migration out to sea. Their bodies start undergoing physiological changes as their environment tra...