In which sea are pink salmon found? River pink salmon

Pink salmon fish, along with red fish, chum salmon, coho salmon, chinook salmon and masu salmon, belongs to the Salmon family. This is one of the most valuable and famous fish existing in nature. Despite its small size (the smallest among the species of the Salmon family), this inhabitant of the waters is the most abundant 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 periodically including dishes from this fish in the diet of both children and adults (at least once a week).

Pink salmon, which has not yet spawned, has beneficial properties and the greatest value, since in fresh river water it loses its more pleasant taste, and with it the beautiful pink tint of the meat.

Brief description and features of fish

Before we find out where pink salmon are found (in which seas) and what are the features of their lifestyle, we will give a short description.

This fish, 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 there are also large black spots on her back. In addition, you can see a hump on the back of pink salmon, which is how its name came about.

The peculiarity lies in where pink salmon are found (details below in the article). This type of fish is also interesting because all the larvae that are born are females. Sexual differentiation does not occur immediately.

One more amazing fact is that male pink salmon are capable of once beautiful fish turn into amazing, ugly creatures: hooked teeth grow on their jaws, and a large hump appears on their back. Among ichthyologists, disputes still arise about what is the reason for this “ wedding attire", which is acquired by all species of fish from the Salmon family. Some argue that this attracts a female, while others believe that this "nuptial outfit" is associated with by river life. There are some other points of view, but there is still no unanimous opinion.

Where do pink salmon live?

Its habitat is water Pacific Ocean. It is found in the area of Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, Kamchatka and off the coast of Japan. Sometimes it can be seen off the coast of the Arctic Ocean. Its main habitats are the American (up to Alaska) and Asian shores of the Pacific Ocean. The Sea of Okhotsk is distinguished by its rich catch.

Fish rise to spawn in the following areas: Lena, Sacramento, Indigirka, Colville and Mackenzie. Found on the Commander Islands, on the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu (northern part), etc.

Answering the question of where pink salmon is found - in the sea or in the river, we can say that in terms of habitat this fish is transitional, traveling from the sea to the river in connection with spawning. Moreover, being in the sea, the fine-scaled body of the fish has a beautiful silver color, and numerous small ones are scattered on the tail fin. dark spots. When entering the river, the “outfit” of the fish changes: the dark spots that were previously located only on the tail cover the head and entire body, merging into a single one by the time of spawning. black spot.

Biology

As noted above, in comparison with other species of Salmon, pink salmon is a medium-sized fish. The maximum recorded size is 68 centimeters, weight reaches up to 3 kg. Pink salmon matures and grows quite quickly. In the second year of life, the fish is quite ready to reproduce.

Pink salmon, obeying their instinct of their native river (or homing), strives into the depths of the riverbed large rivers and the lower reaches of their tributaries. Reaching along the rifts to places without silt and with a pebble bottom, the fish lays its eggs. The most best places for them - rocky shallow waters.

It should be noted that pink salmon, due to the weakness of their instinct to return to their native river (where they were born), can use another natural body of water for spawning. Moreover, in some rivers the mouths sometimes become impassable due to storm sediments, and for 1-2 years the fish are not able to enter there.

Reproduction

The breeding season of pink salmon lasts from August until almost mid-October. At the end of April, larvae appear from the eggs (diameter up to 6 mm). Then their path goes to the ocean downstream. The juveniles, without swimming far into the depths of sea waters, consume small crustaceans in shallow water for about a month.

Where are pink salmon found in Russia?

In Russia, pink salmon is found in coastal waters two oceans: the Pacific and the Arctic. It spawns in the waters of the following rivers:

Amur;
Indigirka;
Kolyma;
Lena.

It should be noted that pink salmon prefer cold, and temperatures above +25.8 degrees are detrimental to it. The best temperature for it is in the range of 5.5-14.5°.

Karelia

Where are pink salmon found in Karelia? There are more than 60 thousand natural lakes and almost 30 thousand rivers in this region, and almost every one of these reservoirs contains fish. This is truly a fish and wild area, allowing fishermen to enjoy their hobby to the fullest.

Among the reservoirs of this region there are several lakes and rivers, which are the most popular among both visitors and local fishermen. This northern regions Karelia, where pink salmon and chum salmon are found. It should be noted that Ladoga, the largest Karelian lake, is home to approximately sixty species of fish, the main of which are:

pike;
roach;
zander;
trout;
salmon.

Pink salmon that live in the White Sea (acclimatized Pacific salmon) spawn where salmon do, for example in the Keret River. Pink salmon and chum salmon began to swim into the rivers flowing into the White Sea (for example, into the Shuya River).

Ichthyologists have noted an unusual and curious feature of pink salmon: this fish most often visits the rivers of Primorye to spawn in odd-numbered years, and the rivers of Kamchatka and Amur in even-numbered years.

Research scientists have very different opinions on this matter, but there is still no consensus on this issue.

In conclusion

TO interesting feature This type of fish can also 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 with each other due to weakly expressed homing in this Salmon species.
During all periods of its life cycle, pink salmon has excellent resistance to the influence of many environmental factors. external environment.
Isolation of subspecies with the acquisition of new features and external features prevents 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 mature quite quickly (they are ready to reproduce after reaching about 1.5-2 years) and, unfortunately, die after the first spawning.

The salmon family is distinguished by the fact that it includes more than 100 various types fish. Pink salmon fish belongs to one of these species. Distinctive feature This species is characterized by the presence of a peculiar hump on the back of the fish. Its name corresponds to this feature. Pink salmon does not have permanent place habitat, but migrates from rivers to seas and vice versa, as a rule, in order to spawn.

It lives in salt water and breeds in fresh water. Prefers cold waters of various reservoirs located closer to northern latitudes. The length of average individuals is within 50 cm, with a weight of about 1.2 kg. Although there are also larger individuals. It's very tasty and healthy fish, which can decorate any holiday table. Due to the fact that the color of its meat is bright orange, it is also called “red fish”.

Pink salmon is a fish that is distinguished not only by its excellent taste, but also by its composition. useful substances, having a positive effect on the functions of the human body. The advantages of pink salmon meat are as follows:

Meat contains a whole bunch of vitamins and minerals.
Micro and macroelements available.
IN minimum quantity calories, which promotes weight loss.
In strengthening the human immune system, which increases the body's resistance against various viral or bacterial diseases.
In improving work cardiovascular system.
In the movement of glucose through the circulatory system, which has a stimulating effect on nerve cells.
It has a beneficial effect on the thyroid gland, providing its functions with iodine.
Removes toxins and waste from the body, thereby cleansing the entire body.
In the prevention of bone diseases, including osteoporosis.
In the prevention of Alzheimer's pathologies associated with old age.
In protecting teeth, strengthening enamel, thanks to the presence of phosphorus and other trace elements such as calcium.
In the processes of rejuvenation of the body, improving skin and softening the walls of blood vessels.

Meat composition

Pink salmon meat contains a high concentration of elements, without which the human body simply cannot function normally. The meat contains:

Omega-3 multivitamins that protect the body from tumors.
Phosphoric acid.
Pyridoxine, which optimizes the functioning of the central nervous system.

Calorie content

100 grams of pink salmon meat contains from 140 to 170 kcal, depending on the method of preparation, which indicates the dietary nature of the product. Its use is recommended by nutritionists for such categories of people as those who are prone to weight gain excess weight or those who have already managed to dial it.

The presence of up to 60% amino acids in fish meat allows you to stay full for a long time and not feel hungry.

100 grams of pure pink salmon meat contains:

20.5 grams of protein.
6.5 grams of fat (healthy).
71.8 grams of liquid.
1.1 grams of multivitamins.
B vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E, C and PP.
Microelements such as calcium, sulfur, magnesium, chlorine, sodium, phosphorus, potassium and others.

The presence of so many useful components in pink salmon meat did not go unnoticed by doctors. They recommend eating this fish at least once a month. This will allow you to regularly replenish the body with vitamins, microelements and other beneficial substances that protect the body from harmful influences. In this case, the characteristics of each organism must be taken into account in terms of its reaction to seafood.

The usefulness of pink salmon meat is obvious, therefore, there are almost no restrictions. The only serious caveat is an allergy to seafood, which is very rare. In addition, there are still categories of people, from a medical point of view, who should limit their consumption of pink salmon meat. For example:

People suffering from problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
People suffering from liver and kidney diseases.
Intolerance of the body to iodine and phosphorus.
Allergic reactions to eating fish meat.

Similar reactions have been noted, although very rarely. In any case, you should be careful when consuming pink salmon meat. To begin with, you need to use large number fish and if no negative sensations appear, then you can consume it without restrictions. If any negative sensations appear, then you need to use either little or stop using it altogether. Although it is difficult to find a product that contains so many nutrients and beneficial substances. Alternatively, you can consult your doctor.

Gastrointestinal and liver diseases

When eating fish meat, you should always remember that it is most useful when boiled or baked, and it is even better to eat fish raw, since in this case it retains the maximum amount of nutrients.

When eating fried fish, you should also not forget that as a result you can provoke gastrointestinal and liver diseases. In addition, harmful cholesterol begins to accumulate in the body, which can lead to clogged blood vessels or obesity. As a result, problems in the functioning of the cardiovascular system are possible. You should also not overuse salt and spices, which can cause stomach ulcers or gastritis.

The best option is to prepare dishes from freshly caught fish. Unfortunately, few people have such an opportunity. In most cases, a person goes to the market or to a store, where he buys fresh or frozen pink salmon. When purchasing such a product, you should check it for freshness by carefully inspecting it visually. It is better to buy fish that have not yet had their heads cut off. By the color of the gills and eyes you can easily determine how fresh fish. The eyes should be light and clear, and the gills should be pink in color. If there is no head, then it is better to look into its abdomen. If its color is pink, then everything is in order, but if it is white, then the fish was frozen. The fish carcass should not have mechanical damage or bruises.

Before you go fishing, you need to clearly understand what the final product will be prepared.

When choosing, you need to pay attention to all the factors that will help protect you from buying spoiled, several times frozen or old fish, which can easily ruin any dish.

You can cook fish using any of the recipes below. All of them are aimed at decorating the festive table.

Delicious pink salmon fish recipes

To cook this delicious dish, you will need:

Large carcass of pink salmon.
Fresh or salted mushrooms.
Onions.
One egg.
Flour, salt and spices.
Vegetable oil (olive oil is possible).

Preparation contains the following steps:

The fish is cut, washed and cut into pieces. It is advisable to remove all seeds.
Breading is done in flour with salt and spices. Take a baking sheet, grease it with oil and add pink salmon.
The filling is prepared from mushrooms and onions. Champignons or boletus are finely chopped.
The fish is stewed in the oven for 15 minutes. Raw eggs are mixed with salt. You should get a regular omelette.
After 15 minutes, the fish is stuffed with mushrooms, onions and eggs beaten with salt. You can put a spoonful of mayonnaise or sour cream on top of the fish.

The dish is cooked until golden brown.

Ingredients:

1 large pink salmon.
Salty or fresh mushrooms, onions and an egg (for filling).
Salt, pepper and flour (for breading).
Olive or vegetable oil.

Cooking steps:

It is necessary to clean the fish and cut it into pieces, first removing all the bones.
Roll the pieces in flour with salt and pepper and place on a greased baking sheet.
To prepare the filling, finely chop mushrooms (champignons or boletus) and onions.
Simmer everything until cooked for 10-15 minutes. Mix raw eggs with salt, like for an omelette.
Divide into equal parts and stuff the fish with it. For taste, you can put a spoonful of mayonnaise or sour cream on top.
Bake in the oven until golden brown.

Stuffed red fish

To prepare the dish you should prepare the following ingredients:

Large pink salmon carcass (1.5 kg).
Parboiled rice.
One carrot.
One egg.
Sea salt, pepper.
One clove of garlic.

How to prepare:

Pink salmon is cleaned and washed under cold water. Then you should separate the meat from the skin and remove all the bones.
Rice, carrots, eggs and garlic are boiled.
Everything is grated on a fine grater, and the eggs are chopped. The fish is stuffed with rice and vegetables. The edges of the belly are joined together, and the fish is laid out on a baking sheet, belly down.
It is cooked in the oven at a temperature of 180 degrees for 25 minutes, after which the fish is sprinkled with water and water is added to the baking sheet.
After this, bake for another 20 minutes.
After cooking, the fish is cut into portions. Serve to the table, garnishing the dish with herbs.

Healthy salad with pink salmon and avocado

Salad ingredients:

One avocado.
Hard pasta – 200 grams.
100 grams of pickled pink salmon.
Three medium tomatoes.
100 grams of olives.
100 ml vegetable oil.
Lemon juice – 3 tablespoons.
Spices (you can do without them).

How to cook:

The avocado is cut into pieces, after which they are poured with a mixture of vegetable oil, lemon juice, salt and spices.
The fish is cooked and the olives are pitted.
The pasta is cooked, the tomatoes are washed and cut. The pasta should cool.
Finally, all the ingredients are mixed together.

The dish will fit perfectly into any celebration. The following products are prepared for its preparation:

Two medium-sized pink salmon fillets.
Young onions - 2 pieces.
Any mushrooms – 300 grams.
New potatoes - 4 pieces.
150 grams of hard cheese.
Mayonnaise or sour cream.
Vegetable oil.
Salt, lemon and spices to taste.
Green.

Cooking steps:

First of all, prepare the baking dish. Lightly grease it with a piece of butter.
Pink salmon fillet is rubbed with a mixture of salt and pepper, and also sprinkled with lemon juice and placed on the bottom of the mold.
Onions and mushrooms are cut into pieces and fried in a frying pan, after which they are sprinkled on the fish.
The potatoes are grated on a fine grater and placed on top of the mushrooms.
After this, everything is salted, peppered, decorated with dill, and hard cheese is grated on top.
Finally, the dish is greased with mayonnaise and placed in the oven for 45 minutes, preheated to 180 degrees.

Fish such as pink salmon is the starting product for preparing a variety of dishes, such as cold appetizers or hot dishes, both first and second. It can be fried, boiled, baked, as well as pickled and salted. In its raw form it is most useful, but when fried it is also harmful because it becomes heavy on the stomach. It is possible to prepare any dishes at home, without any problems and without unavailable ingredients.

Red fish dishes, especially salads and cold appetizers, have always been in demand for festive table. Moreover, it is not only tasty, but also healthy. It is enough to eat a small piece of pink salmon meat a day and you can replenish your body with vitamins and microelements. At the same time, eating fish in excess of the norm will not bring a positive effect: the body will take exactly as many nutrients as it needs.

The most valuable breed of fish is salmon, and pink salmon is one of the representatives of this species. The fish got its name from the hump that protrudes above the spine, just behind the head. Despite its not very attractive appearance, pink salmon has a second name - pink salmon. But one can argue with this opinion, because pink salmon tends to change its color. And it's not strange when the fish comes from fresh water to sea and back, the color tends to change slightly. This type fish are migrants, first they live in the river, then they move to the sea, and then spawning returns to fresh river. The lifespan of pink salmon is approximately 3 years. The benefits and harms of pink salmon are important.

Properties and composition of pink salmon fish

Like any product that is eaten, pink salmon also has both benefits and harm to the body. Pink salmon is rich in vitamins and minerals; it is famous for its high protein content and virtual absence of fat. An ideal product for those who want to lose weight, isn't it?

In addition to all the beneficial properties inherent in each fish, pink salmon is also distinguished by the presence of rare vitamins PP, phosphorus, sulfur, a huge amount of iodine, chromium, and cobalt. It’s hard to imagine that such a familiar product contains such an amount useful microelements. Pink salmon is famous for the presence of unsaturated fats, which are beneficial for the body, especially women. Even canned pink salmon retains its beneficial properties.

Calories in pink salmon

The amount of nutrients in pink salmon is off the charts. It doesn’t matter whether it’s stewed, baked, fried or steamed - the satiety and benefits of fish are undeniable. And for those losing weight, this is a real savior, which will satiate you 100% and at the same time there are only 140 calories per 100 grams of fish. But, despite this, the high amount of protein in fish, which is a little more than 60%, allows you to quickly and for a long time get full. You can prepare pink salmon fillet as a dietary option by simply stewing it. Fish takes a long time to digest, so if you eat pink salmon for dinner, you definitely won’t want to eat it before bed. And most importantly, even a large portion of fish will not leave fat on the sides and waist; the main thing, of course, is not to overeat until you lose consciousness. Canned pink salmon is also low in calories.

The benefits and harms of pink salmon

If you take it apart chemical composition pink salmon, we can conclude that it is useful primarily for the health of the skin, mucous membranes of the body, digestive system and CNS. Doctors recommend adding pink salmon dishes to the diet for those who have reduced immunity and general body tone, because this fish contains almost the entire table chemical elements Mendeleev. More precisely, exactly what the human body needs. And if it is obvious for those losing weight, then other important properties should be described in more detail. The antioxidants contained in the composition help control and normalize blood sugar levels. Of course, their content in pink salmon is not so high, but they still exist and perform very important function, in addition to controlling sugar, acids provide rejuvenation, this is a real source of youth. The amazing benefits of pink salmon and the harm that is virtually absent - that’s what makes this fish ideal.

It is necessary to mention phosphorus, which is present in pink salmon as phosphoric acid, and its task is the formation of enzymes that regulate and accelerate chemical reactions in cells. Due to this, metabolism is accelerated, which is very important for the proper functioning of the body. The second phosphorus compound is phosphate salts, which are involved in the construction of skeletal tissue.

Pink salmon is an indispensable product on the menu for those who suffer from thyroid diseases. This is because fish contains a large amount of honey. It is impossible not to mention that pink salmon is an indispensable product for full-fledged work circulatory system namely the brain. This is all thanks to the fact that the cells are saturated with pyridoxine, which is known to improve metabolism in brain cells. Due to this, performance increases, not only memory, but also mood improves. Pyridoxine helps sugar to be distributed evenly throughout the body, thereby improving the functioning of the nervous system. Therefore, pink salmon is the number one product during sessions, exams and difficult situations. Maximum benefit and the harm of pink salmon, which is minimal, attract nutritionists.

Harm and contraindications

You can often hear that pink salmon has absolutely no contraindications, with the exception of individual intolerance. On the one hand, this is true, but on the other, doctors still recommend using pink salmon with caution for those who have peptic ulcers gastrointestinal tract, chronic liver pathologies. It is not recommended to eat a lot of fish for those who have individual intolerance to phosphorus and iodine. Do not forget that fish can either have a beneficial effect on the body or cause harm. In order for pink salmon to retain the maximum amount of useful elements, you need to learn how to cook it correctly. Which recipes are the most popular?

Homemade salted pink salmon

First you need to clean the pink salmon from scales and gut it. You should get rid of everything except meat.
Next you need to treat the fish with salt both inside and outside.
Don't forget to wrap the pink salmon in a slightly damp cotton napkin. You need to roll the fish very tightly with a napkin so that it is completely wrapped, without any open spaces. After the napkin, you need to wrap the pink salmon in a towel and place it in a bag, which is again wrapped in paper.
Now, finally, you can put the fish in the refrigerator and say goodbye to it for three weeks.

And after the designated time has passed, you can enjoy the taste of freshly salted pink salmon, which has retained its beneficial properties by almost 100%. Housewives loved this recipe because it can be modified as you please, adding various spices, and experimenting with taste.

Pink salmon in the microwave

As the simplest and quick recipe, which saves housewives in critical situations. After the fish is cut and prepared, you should cut it into pieces, pepper them, salt them and you can begin further cooking:

Cut the tomato and onion into rings and place on top of each piece of fish.
You need to put mayonnaise on top and add grated cheese.
Place the fish in the microwave for 20 minutes and you are ready to serve.

This recipe, which takes no more than 20 minutes to prepare, will be a real godsend for those who are always short on time.

Wet salting of pink salmon caviar

And if the classic recipe for salting pink salmon is simple and clear, then with pink salmon caviar things are somewhat different. The recipe is also easy to make, but has a slightly different technique. For a standard recipe you will need 250 grams of pink salmon caviar, 250 grams of water, a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of sugar. So, how to cook pink salmon caviar at home?

The caviar needs to be separated from the film, washed and dried, at which time you can put water on the fire.
When the water boils, salt and sugar should be dissolved in it.
The brine needs to be strained through a sieve; if you don’t have one, you can use ordinary gauze.
The brine must cool, and only after that can the caviar be sent into it.
The caviar should be infused in the brine for two hours, no less.
It is important not to injure the eggs and drain the brine through a sieve or cheesecloth.

Now the caviar can be transferred into containers and served to guests.

Baked pink salmon

For classic recipe baked pink salmon will need one and a half kilograms of fish, 100 grams of butter, one onion, a tablespoon of lemon juice, a teaspoon of wine vinegar, mayonnaise, spinach, parsley, salt, pepper - everything to taste. The fish is prepared as follows:

Clean, gut and cut up the pink salmon, rinse it and dry it.
Make several transverse cuts, which should be a few centimeters apart from each other.
Cut the onion into rings, cut the butter into thin strips and insert the butter into the slits. If there is something left, you don’t have to throw it away, but put it in the belly, and the onion goes there too.
Finely chop the greens, add vinegar, mayonnaise, lemon juice and blend with a blender. This will be the sauce that you need to coat the pink salmon with.
Wrap the fish in foil and place it on a baking sheet, place the pink salmon in the oven, preheated to 200 degrees.

The fish is baked for about half an hour and served whole, decorated with lemon slices.

Pink salmon (lat. Oncorhynсhus gorbusсha) is an anadromous fish, a representative of the salmon family (Salmonidae). It is the smallest in size and the most common representative of fish belonging to the genus of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus).

Description of pink salmon

Pink salmon or Pink salmon is a fish with an appearance quite characteristic of all representatives of the class Ray-finned fish and the order Salmonidae.

Appearance

Ocean pink salmon have a blue or blue-green back, silvery sides and belly. white . After returning to the spawning grounds, the color of such fish changes. The pink salmon becomes pale gray in color at the back, and the belly acquires a very visible yellowish or greenish tint. Along with other salmonids, pink salmon have an adipose fin located in the area from the dorsal to the caudal fin.

This is interesting! The average weight of adult pink salmon is about 2.2 kg, and the length of the largest famous fish of this type was 0.76 m with a mass of 7.0 kg.

The main distinctive characteristics of pink salmon include a white mouth and the absence of teeth on the tongue, as well as the presence of fairly large oval black spots on the back and V-shaped appearance caudal fin. The fish has an anal fin, represented by 13-17 soft rays. During the period of migration to spawning areas, male pink salmon develop a very clear and clearly visible hump in the back area, thanks to which representatives of this species of salmon received their unusual name.

Behavior and lifestyle

Pink salmon prefers relatively cold waters, so the most comfortable temperature indicators for the habitat of such fish are +10-14 0 C. When the temperature rises to +26 0 C and above, mass mortality of pink salmon is observed. Representatives of the order Salmonidae overwinter in places where water temperatures do not fall below 5 0 C. These are the conditions that characterize the zone warm current Kuroshio, located off the southern and eastern coasts of Japan. The migration of pink salmon is less extensive than, for example, that of chum salmon, and adult individuals do not rise very high in river water.

How long does pink salmon live?

The life expectancy of representatives of the salmon family is too short, not exceeding three years, is due to the fact that pink salmon reaches sexual maturity twenty months after rolling into sea waters, and after the only spawning in their lives, adult individuals die.

Range, habitats

Migratory fish, which is currently one of the most famous representatives of the genus of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynсhus), has become quite widespread in the coastal waters of the Pacific and Arctic oceans.

This is interesting! In the middle of the last century, several attempts were made to acclimatize pink salmon in river waters off the Murmansk coast, but no significant success was achieved in this endeavor.

Among other things, representatives of the salmon family live in the Great Lakes in the territory North America, where very small quantity individuals were introduced completely by accident. In Asia, representatives of the class Ray-finned fish and the order Salmonidae are quite common up to Honshu.

Pink salmon diet

As they develop and grow, juvenile pink salmon switches from feeding on plankton and benthos to larger zooplankton and a variety of aquatic invertebrates, as well as all kinds of small fish. However, preference is given to:

chironomid larvae;
larvae of stoneflies and mayflies;
midges;
small copepods;
harpacticides;
cumaceans;
amphipods.

The food for adult pink salmon is mainly various crustaceans and the growing juveniles of some fish species. On the shelf, adult individuals can almost completely switch to feeding on the larvae of benthic invertebrates and fish.

This is interesting! It should be noted that immediately before spawning, the fish stops feeding, which is due to the stoppage of the digestive organs and inhibition of feeding reflexes.

Above the deepest sea habitats, the traditional diet is represented, as a rule, by squid, larvae, juveniles and small fish, including glowing anchovies and silver coins.

Reproduction and offspring

In mid-summer, representatives of the class Ray-finned fish and the order Salmonidae begin to actively enter river waters for spawning, which occurs in August. All behavioral characteristics Such fish are typical for any salmon, therefore, before the female spawns, she builds a nest in the form of a depression at the bottom. After the eggs are spawned, they are fertilized by the males and the eggs are buried, and the adult fish inevitably dies.

This is interesting! In the process of rolling towards the sea, a huge number of fry die and are eaten predatory fish or birds.

The female manages to lay approximately 800-2400 eggs. Pink salmon fry hatch in November-December, and for the first time they use substances contained in yolk sac. In the last ten days of spring or early summer, the grown fry leave their nest and, with the help of the water current, roll into the sea. Their length at this moment is 3 cm, and the body is characterized by a uniform silver color without the presence of transverse stripes characteristic of adult individuals. Juveniles feed on a variety of plankton and benthos.

River pink salmon is an anadromous fish. This means that it spends part of its life in sea water, and spawns in rivers. In the photo, the river pink salmon is noticeably different from other fish...

It's interesting that with the onset mating season pink salmon undergoes a significant transformation. Males are most visibly transformed.

The fish changes color to greenish-brown with dark stripes and spots. The body flattens laterally and a hump appears (hence the name of the species). The jaws bend to form either a hooked nose or a beak. Strong crooked teeth become noticeable (because of this, river pink salmon are called catfish). The meat of spawning fish turns white.

Signs

When pink salmon are still at sea, their color is silver with a darker back and a clearly visible lateral line. Dark spots are visible on the fins: large ones on the caudal fin, small ones on the dorsal fin. The body is “clad” with small, thick scales. Females are smaller in size than males.

Spreading

During the maritime period life cycle Pink salmon live in the North Pacific Ocean. Off the coast of Asia, the habitat of pink salmon stretches from Chukotka to the Korean Peninsula and the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu. Along the coast of North America - from the Bering Strait to California. You can also find pink salmon in Arctic Ocean- all the way to the mouth of the Lena off the coast of Asia, and to the Colville River off the coast of the North American continent.

Pink salmon is valuable commercial fish, providing a high catch. The waters washing the southern regions are especially rich in pink salmon. Kuril Islands, east coast Kamchatka, British Columbia.

The habitat of pink salmon is very wide, which indicates the popularity of the fish among many nationalities.

The Sea of Okhotsk, the northern part, also produces a rich catch of pink salmon. Sea of Japan and the southeastern Gulf of Alaska.

And, although the pink salmon catch fluctuates from year to year, the share of this species in the total salmon fishery is one of the most significant.

Biology

Compared to representatives of other species of the Salmon family, pink salmon is a medium-sized fish. The fixed maximum size is 68 cm (with a weight of 3 kg). Pink salmon grows and matures quickly. By the second year of life, the fish is ready to reproduce. Submitting to the instinct of their native river (homing), pink salmon goes deep into the beds of large rivers or into the lower reaches of their tributaries, reaches silt-free places with a bottom covered with pebbles or gravel, and lays eggs.

The breeding season lasts from August to mid-October. Larvae emerge from eggs (d=6 mm) at the end of April. They still have a way to go downstream - to the ocean. Without swimming far into sea waters, the juveniles feed in shallow water for about a month, consuming small crustaceans.

Compared to other salmonids, it boasts a very large population of its Pacific population.

The larger the annual population size, the smaller the fish (2.5-5.7 cm). This, however, does not apply to pink salmon living in British Columbia and Northern Primorye.

Pink salmon from 32 to 64 cm in length begin to reproduce. But, on average, the size of spawning individuals falls within the range of 38-59 cm (with a weight of one and a half to two kilograms).

This type of fish is also interesting because all the larvae that are born are females. Sexual differentiation of individuals does not occur immediately.

One of the curious features of this species is that pink salmon does not have clearly defined subspecies. They cannot form due to a number of reasons. Firstly, individuals of different populations are not isolated from each other - they have the opportunity to interbreed with each other due to weak homing in this species. Secondly, this fish at all periods of its life cycle has good resistance to the influence of environmental factors. And thirdly, the isolation of subspecies by acquiring new features and characteristics is prevented by the uniformity of living conditions throughout the entire extent of the species’ distribution.

Generations of pink salmon are genetically quite isolated from each other (they do not overlap during reproduction), since these fish mature quickly (once they reach 1.5-2 years they are ready to reproduce) and die after the first spawning.

Spawning

When entering the river at the beginning of spawning, males outnumber females. But the closer to the end of the long journey to the spawning ground, the more females become. If we consider the average numbers, then parity is maintained between the sexes.

The journey to the spawning grounds takes 1-1.5 months. This is a grueling and exhausting road, during which the fish does not feed and undergoes a number of external and internal transformations. The conditions in the spawning areas of all pink salmon populations are approximately the same: pebble-sandy soil, water temperature - 4-16 ° C, current speed at a depth of about one meter - 0.2-1 m/s, degree of water saturation with oxygen - at least 40% from full.

The female lays 800-2400 large eggs in a specially prepared hole, in three separate nests. After the male fertilizes the eggs with milk, the female fills the hole with soil, forming a so-called spawning mound (with an area of one and a half to two square meters). After 130 days, pink salmon larvae appear from the fertilized eggs (40-60% of all eggs spawned). They stay under the pebbles for about a hundred days, then emerge from under the spawning mound and go to the sea. The ramp lasts several months: from late April to early July. Having reached the place where the river flows into the sea, the juveniles remain here for some time - in the waters just before the mouth of the river. Then it moves on.

After feeding in shallow waters in coastal bays and bays, young pink salmon move to the open sea in October-November.

Since pink salmon have relatively weak homing, they may spawn in a river other than the one in which they were born. Moreover, the mouths of some rivers sometimes become impassable due to storm sediments, and pink salmon are not able to enter there for 1-2 years.

Herds

Due to the weakness of the instinct to return to their native river, pink salmon can use another river for spawning, not the one in which they were born. That is, the group of these fish is united not by one native river, but by several rivers in which the spawning of these individuals may take place.

A group of fish united by a common complex of such rivers is called a herd. There are a large number of such herds of pink salmon. These are the Primorye, Amur, West Sakhalin (Sea of Japan), East Sakhalin, South Sakhalin, North Okhotsk, West Kamchatka, West Bering Sea, South Kuril, Hokkaido, and American herds.

Maritime period

Herds of pink salmon of Asian origin reside in the western (Kuril-Kamchatka) and central (Aleutian) regions of concentration of these fish. The eastern region (off the coast of North America) is home to herds of American origin. A separate herd of pink salmon swims in the Sea of Japan.

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