Pink salmon fish, along with red fish, chum salmon, coho salmon, chinook salmon and sima, belongs to the Salmon family. This is one of the most valuable and famous fish that exists in nature. Despite its small size (the smallest among the species of the Salmonidae family), this inhabitant of the waters is the most popular fish of this family.
Where is pink salmon found, which is one of the unique products that is very loved by domestic and consumers?
General information
Many people know that pink salmon is not very cheap. But nutritionists recommend that meals from this fish be periodically included in the diet of both children and adults (at least once a week).
Sea pink salmon, which has not yet spawned, has useful properties and the greatest value, since in the freshwater river it loses its more pleasant taste, and with it a beautiful pink shade of meat.
Short description and features of fish
Before we find out where pink salmon live (in which seas) and what are the features of its lifestyle, we give a short description.
This fish of the Salmonidae family, unlike other fish, has another fin located between the tail and the fin on the back. Among other features, there is one more - she has a whitish mouth and large teeth, and also has large black spots on her back. In addition, at the pink salmon on the back you can see a hump, thanks to which its name happened.
A feature is where pink salmon are found (details in the article below). This type of fish is also interesting in that all the larvae that were born are females. Sexual differentiation in them does not occur immediately.
Another amazing fact is that pink salmon males are able to turn from once beautiful fish into amazing ugly creatures: hooked teeth grow on their jaws, and a large hump appears on their backs. There are still disputes among ichthyologists about what this “mating outfit” is associated with, which is acquired by all species of fish from the Salmonidae family. Some argue that this attracts the female, while others believe that this “mating outfit” is associated with the river lifestyle. There are some other points of view, but there is still no unanimous opinion.
Where does pink salmon live?
Its habitat is the waters of the Pacific Ocean. It is found in the Sakhalin, Kuril, Kamchatka and off the coast of Japan. Sometimes it can be seen off the coast of the Arctic Ocean. The main habitats are American (to Alaska) and the Asian coast of the Pacific Ocean. The Sea of Okhotsk is rich in catch.
Fish rise to spawn in the following rivers: Kolyma, Lena, Sacramento, Indigirka, Colville and Mackenzie. It is found on the Commander Islands, on the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu (northern part), etc.
Answering the question of where pink salmon live - in the sea or river, we can say that in terms of habitat this fish is transitional, traveling in connection with spawning from the sea to the river. Moreover, being in the sea, the finely scaly body of the fish has a beautiful silver color, and numerous small dark spots are scattered on the tail fin. When entering the river, the “outfit” of the fish changes: previously located dark spots only on the tail cover the head and the whole body, merging into a single black spot by the time of spawning.
Biology
As noted above, in comparison with other species of Salmonids, pink salmon is medium-sized fish. The maximum recorded size is - 68 centimeters, the weight reaches up to 3 kg. Pink salmon matures and grows quite quickly. In the second year of life, the fish is quite ready for reproduction.
Pink salmon, obeying the instinct of their native river (or homing), tends to the depths of the channel of large rivers and the lower reaches of their tributaries. Reaching the rifts to places without silt and with a pebble bottom, the fish lays its eggs. The best places for them are rocky shallow waters.
It should be noted that pink salmon, due to the weakness of its instinct of returning to its native river (where it was born itself), can use another natural reservoir for spawning. Moreover, in some rivers the estuaries sometimes become impassable due to storm deposits, and within 1-2 years the fish is not able to go there.
Breeding
From August to almost mid-October, the pink salmon breeding season lasts. In late April, larvae of eggs appear (diameter up to 6 mm). Further, their path goes to the ocean downstream. Juveniles, not swimming far into the depths of sea waters, consume small crustaceans in the shallow water for about a month.
Further, after feeding in the shallow waters of coastal bays and bays, in October-November, young pink salmon swims in the open sea.
Where is pink salmon found in Russia?
In Russia, pink salmon is found in the coastal waters of two oceans: the Pacific and the Arctic. It spawns in the waters of the following rivers:
- Amur;
- Indigirka;
- Kolyma;
- Yana;
- Lena.
It should be noted that pink salmon prefer cold, and a temperature of more than +25.8 degrees is fatal to it. The best temperature for it is in the range of 5.5-14.5 °.
Karelia
Where is pink salmon found in Karelia? There are more than 60 thousand natural lakes and nearly 30 thousand rivers in this region, and fish are found in almost every of these reservoirs. It is truly a fishing and wild place that allows fishermen to enjoy their hobbies in plenty.
Among the reservoirs of this region there are several lakes and rivers, which are the most popular among both visitors and local fishermen. These are the northern regions of Karelia, where pink salmon and chum salmon are found. It should be noted that in Ladoga - the largest Karelian lake - there are approximately sixty species of fish, the main of which are:
- pike;
- roach;
- zander;
- trout;
- salmon.
Pink salmon, which lives in the White Sea (acclimatized Pacific), spawn where salmon is, for example, in the Keret River. In the rivers flowing into the White Sea, pink salmon and chum salmon began to sail (for example, into the Shuya river).
Interesting fact
Ichthyologists noted the unusual and curious feature of pink salmon: this fish most often visits the rivers of Primorye for spawning in odd years, and the rivers of Kamchatka and Amur - in even ones.
In this regard, scientists have various opinions, but so far there is no unanimity in this matter.
Finally
A curious feature of this species of fish can be attributed to the fact that it does not have specific subspecies. They are not formed for a number of reasons:
- Individuals of different populations are not isolated from each other - they interbreed in connection with the weakly expressed homing of this species of Salmonids.
- During all periods of its life cycle, pink salmon has excellent resistance to the influence of many environmental factors.
- The isolation of subspecies with the acquisition of new features and appearance is hindered by the uniformity of living conditions throughout the distribution of the species.
Generations of pink salmon fish are genetically isolated from each other (they do not overlap during reproduction), due to the fact that they grow up quite quickly (they are ready to reproduce after reaching about 1.5-2 years) and, unfortunately, die after the first spawning.