The salmon is a remarkable fish and it has a really fascinating life cycle. They begin their lives as eggs in a river or stream, which hatch into small fish called fry. As they mature, they become smolt and eventually adult salmon.
Salmon life cycle helps maintain the number of salmon in the wild. That is where breeding helps! Breeding is also when scientists and experts get salmon to have babies, only in places known as hatcheries.
To prevent disease and obtain optimal conditions for fish growth, the water needs to be maintained clean and within ideal temperature ranges in order to successfully breed salmon in hatcheries. They also monitor the salmon to ensure they are healthy and growing well.
But, wild salmon comes with some issues. Pollution, overfishing and destroying their habitats can all make it difficult for salmon to survive. That’s why breeding programs are so key, they increase the number of salmon every year in the wild.
Genetic diversity is also a major aspect of effective salmon spawning. This means the salmon population will be diverse and healthy, as scientists can use it to maintain the population with a variety of genes.
With the help of new technology and conservation strategies, people are racing to save wild salmon. For instance, scientists use DNA testing to follow the salmon’s trajectory and find out where they live.
