1. Salmon Life Cycle
6th Class Kiltartan National School

2. The Life Cycle of a Salmon
There are five different stages in the life cycle of the salmon.
They are called egg, fry , par , smolt and adult salmon.

3. The First Stage : Eggs
During spawning, eggs are deposited by the female in redd then the male fertilizes the eggs. Each nest contains 500 to 1200 eggs but only 20 out of 100 actually live to move on to the next stage. Many die before hatching, some die because they didn't get fertilized, some because of disease. Depending on the temperature it can take 6-12 weeks for the eggs to hatch. Salmon life span is 2-7 years 4-5 is the average. 

4. The Second Stage : Fry
 They grow from about 2.5 cm to between 4.5 and 5.5 cm. Because they are out in open water searching for food, many salmon fry are eaten by predators, including birds and larger fish. To hide, salmon fry change their skin colour.

5. The Third Stage : Parr
Most species of salmon Parr are about five inches long. They feed mainly on aquatic insects but also eat worms, crustaceans, amphibian larvae, fish eggs, and young fish. After their growth period in fresh water, the salmon will begin migrating toward the sea.

6. The Fourth Stage : Smolt
A smolt is a stage of a salmon life cycle that is getting ready to go out to sea. As salmon begin to get older, they adapt for life in salt water in a stage known as smolts. This process marks the beginning of their first migration from their home stream to the ocean.

7. The Fifth Stage : An Adult Salmon
Adult salmon have silver-blue scales with black spots. They spend 2-3 years in freshwater, then migrate to the ocean where they spend 2-3 years, and then return to their home river to spawn. Adult salmon eat small fish. Chinook salmon are the largest type of salmon and can get up to 58" long and 126 pounds.