Identification.
Adipose fin present. Caudal penduncle (tail fin stalk) narrow, the tail fin rays stand out from the outline above and below, tail fin slightly forked. Upper jaw bone of salmon extends to the level of the rear of the eye, not beyond.

Salmon coloration, large fish, returning from sea and smolts are silvery, white beneath, and have small x shaped spots on the sides. Young fish are dark above with a series of 8-11 dark, rounded marks on the sides with a single orange spot between these parr marks.

Habitat.
Salmon parr in shallow water and small streams towards the head waters of rivers. Later they spread out downstream. Between 1-3 years of age they become silvery smolts, move downstream, and eventually out to sea, returning to the river in 1-3 years.

Food.
Salmon parr eat aquatic insects, crustaceans, and a substantial amount of insects and small animals that drop into the water. In the sea food is mostly crustaceans (shrimps etc)

Breeding.
Spawning takes place upstream in rivers in a nest (redd) made by the female in gravel in November-December. The eggs are buried in the gravel, hatching in early spring.

Statistics.
Salmon can be found in most of the cleaner rivers. The current UK salmon record is 64lb.