Many believe that the Atlantic Salmon is found only in fresh water. That’s because they are difficult to see in the broad vastness of the sea. However, when they are up to one year old they travel from fresh water to the sea to feed on tiny crustaceans in order to grow into powerful long and heavy fish. Then they travel to cold waters which need to be without pollution. Without this cold water areas protected for them as a habitat they cannot survive.

Its an evolutionary miracle how these Atlantic salmon return home again to the rivers of their birthplace. This is one of biologies greatest mysteries. Are they guided by stars or the electrical impulses of earth? No one knows how they make this return to their ancestral home.

September to January becomes the months for spawning in some regions. The females, called hens flutter their tales to hollow out a place where they deposit from 700 to 800 eggs. Beside them are the trembling males who wait to start their part of the drama. They ejaculate a milky liquid over the eggs, the female covers the them with gravel.

60 percent of these eggs will hatch and the newborns face overwhelming odds for survival. Their predators include: trout, eels, mergansers ,herons, otters, and mink.

More than conservation that limits some fishing is required. Rivers and streams must not be polluted and hatcheries need to be employed to replenish the Atlantic Salmon which is a treasure of our clear cold rivers.