There are several species of salmon fish in the Pacific Northwest region. These are the Coho, Sockeye, Pink, Chum, Atlantic and the largest which is the King or Chinook. Salmon are born in the rivers and swim down to the ocean where they live in the saltwater. At spawning time, they return to the river where they were born, lay the eggs, and then die. The young hatch and start the life cycle over again. Salmon fish have always been an important mainstay food source for the Northwest Native Indian people as well as much wildlife in the region including many large birds, bears, and river otters. This is the reason why the salmon is a popular subject in Northwest Native Indian artwork and culture.

According to Northwest Native Indian legend, the salmon were actually people with superhuman abilities and eternal lives. The Salmon people lived in great houses under the ocean but since they knew that humans on land needed food, they offered themselves to the land based tribes as food by turning into salmon fish. Their spirits were returned back to the ocean where they were reborn again. One tribe on land was short of food because the salmon never came to their waters. But they heard about the Salmon people. So the chief sent out an expedition to find these Salmon people in order to ask them to come to their waters. After many days of travel, the expedition arrived in a new land where the Salmon people were. The chief of the Salmon people ordered four of their villagers to go into the sea where they became salmon as soon as the water reached their faces. He ordered others to retrieve these new salmon fish which were then cooked as a welcoming feast for the guests in the expedition.

The chief told the guests to eat as much but the bones of the salmon fish, even the smallest ones, were not to be thrown out. All of the salmon bones were collected by the villagers after the guests were careful enough to lay them into little piles. The Salmon people then threw these bones back into the water. Minutes later, the four individuals who originally turned into the salmon fish reappeared and joined the others.

Over the next few days, the guests watched the Salmon people repeat this process with the salmon bones over and over again. However, during a subsequent feast, one of the guests from the expedition secretly held back some of the salmon bones. This time, when one of the Salmon people came back from out of the water, he was covering his face and said that some of the bones must be missing since his cheeks were gone. Another said that she was missing her chin. Alarmed by what had happened, the guest brought out the missing salmon bones he had previously held back. The two Salmon people with missing body parts then went back into the sea with these bones. Upon their return back to land, both Salmon people had their complete bodies again.

The expedition asked the chief to let some of his Salmon people visit their waters and streams to help supply much needed food. The chief agreed to do so as long as the tribe agreed to throw back all the salmon bones into the water so that the Salmon people could return home intact. If this was not respected, the tribe was told that the Salmon people would refuse to return to the tribe’s waters. So the tribe always honored the return of the salmon to their streams every year and respected the rules set by the Salmon people chief. This ensured an adequate food supply for the tribe every year.

One interesting fact is that when White men first arrived to the region, the Northwest Native Indian people did not want to sell salmon to them. It was feared that the salmon not be treated with respect by the White men who were ignorant of the required customs and regulations set by the Salmon people.

Clint Leung is owner of Free Spirit Gallery http://www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca , an online gallery specializing in Inuit art and Native American Indian art. including carvings and prints. Also numerous information articles and videos.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clint_Leung

A New Old Super Food?

The modern North American diet is one rich in saturated fats, deep fried foods, and high sugar drinks. Cola, alcohol, and fast food have all taken their toll on the overall health and fitness of the North American population, and now a full two thirds of the population is considered overweight or obese, with nearly ten percent of the population being morbidly obese.

The mere mention of a change in diet immediately instills fears of ultra-strict calorie pinching and meal planning, yet it does not have to be so. The right combination of foods, combined with moderate physical activity, is all that one needs to get back into shape and back on track with their health.

It Hails From the Sea

Salmon is one food that carries the weight of the world on its shoulders, or should I say, off of yours. High in lean protein, amino acids, creatine, and essential fatty acids, Salmon is the perfect food for someone looking to gain lean muscle mass and ditch some stored fat.

A four ounce fillet of Salmon contains almost half your daily supply of most essential nutrients, such as vitamins B12 and B3, and over eighty percent of your daily intake of omega-3 fatty acids. It also contains a full days supply of vitamin D and trytophan. What’s best is that it does all of this while only packing 261 lean, worry free calories.

How Does Salmon Help You?

The sheer number of advantages and good benefits which come from a steady intake of Salmon is quite remarkable, and experiencing them only involves a few minor changes to your diet. There is no calorie counting, food blocking, or madness-inducing starvation sessions involved with this diet modification, only the subtraction of three high-fat meals a week and the addition of three high-value meals which feature Salmon as the entree.

The consumption of Salmon supplies your body with a steady and easily digested serving of lean protein, allowing your muscles the opportunity and resources to develop without adding the layers of fat to go with it. The eventual result, over a decent period of time, is the creation of lean muscle mass and a reduction in fat stores across the body. Though the consumption of Salmon alone won’t decrease your body fat index, if it replaces other, high-calorie and high-fat meals, the consumption of Salmon will certainly get you off to a great start.

The omega-3 acids and high vitamin content of Salmon also gives your body an edge cardio wise. Your heart will pump healthier and more efficiently, and your risk for various heart diseases will be significantly reduced. Again, this is the result of all of the good things that Salmon gives you and the removal of some of the bad meals that Salmon is replacing. Keep in mind that if you are consuming nothing but fast food and fried snacks there is nothing that anyone or anything can do to help.

Incorporating Salmon Into Your Diet

There are many sources of Salmon, such as fresh Salmon fillets or canned Salmon (similar to canned Tuna). As a general rule, you want to focus on fresh wild Salmon as opposed to farmed Salmon. There are many varieties of wild Salmon, though we have become particularly fond of the deep, rich taste from Alaskan Wild Salmon.

Replacing two or three high-fat meals with a Salmon based one every week is all it takes to enjoy the numerous benefits associated with Salmon. Like most things, there are thousands of different and creative ways to prepare Salmon, so search around for a recipe that tickles your taste buds.

Our particular favorite method of preparation is either grilling or poaching a six ounce fillet- try a few different methods and see which ones you love. If you are unsure of how to prepare Salmon, make an evening of it and go out to dinner to a restaurant which features it. Be sure to call ahead to confirm that the restaurant you have in mind has a Salmon based entree.

When everything is said and done, Salmon is a versatile, hard-working part of a healthy lifestyle. It can be prepared a million and one different ways, and it always tastes great. The best part, however, is knowing that you can enjoy Salmon without having to feel guilty.

Bon appetit!

Salmon is one of the most versatile fish we can buy, and despite its longstanding reputation as a luxury fish, is nowadays surprisingly affordable.

Salmon are available in both farmed and wild varieties, and while the wild salmon has the edge in terms of both flavour and texture, the quality of the farmed fish has improved greatly over the years and is now a fish that makes thoroughly respectable eating. The comparative rarity of wild salmon, which is only available for half the year between February and August, is at least as responsible as quality for the higher prices it commands compared to its farmed cousins.

Most of the wild salmon you can buy will be from the Atlantic Ocean, both off the shores of North America and Northern Europe, with Scotland being an especially famed source of the fish. Salmon can also be found in the Pacific, although these fish tend to find their way into cans rather than the wet fish counter of your local fishmonger.

An enduring image of wild salmon is of a sleek silver arch of fish leaping up weirs and waterfalls, and this arises because they are are born in freshwater, but spend most of their lives in the sea after migrating while young. They will stay in the sea for between one and four years, before returning to the very same river they were born in to spawn, which is usually their last act before expiring from the exhaustion of the journey upstream.

Farmed salmon, in contrast, spend their entire lives in lochs or river estuaries, swimming in net cages, sometimes at densities higher than is healthy for the fish. Fish farming has gathered something of a bad reputation over the years, and it’s true that salmon farms once showed a similar disregard for animal welfare that you’d find in most industrialized farming operations. In recent years, though, public opinion has forced a rethink, and standards have widely improved – you can even find organic farmed fish these days.

When you come to buy salmon, the usual rules for buying fish apply. Make sure you can see a whole fish so that you can get an idea of how fresh it is – the pre-wrapped anonymous fillets packaged in a ‘protective atmosphere’ you find in many supermarkets is a gamble at best. A fresh fish will have bulging eyes rather than sunken ones, will feel firm to the touch, and should not smell ‘fishy’ as this indicates that it is past its best.

Depending on how many you are feeding, you can buy a steak which is cut from the shoulder of the fish, a fillet from nearer the tail end, or even a whole fish. Tail end fillets possibly offer the best eating, as they are more or less free of bones apart from the pin bones which can easily be removed during preparation. Steaks, however, are a more meaty cut and are perhaps more suited to cooking methods such as a barbecue or grill.

Whichever cut you buy, you can be assured that your health will benefit – as an oily fish, salmon is high in Omega 3, which has been shown to be of use in preventing heart problems, and is widely believed to be helpful for brain and nervous system development and operation.

Enjoy your salmon!

Alaska is famous for its wild salmon. The flavor of Alaskan salmon depends upon fat content and the environment in which it matured. Alaska’s pure waters and the abundance of natural food give Alaska salmon unparalleled flavor.

Although salmon are caught in Alaska’s pristine waters year-round, fishing season in Anchorage and southcentral Alaska really heats up in late May, when the prized king salmon returns home to spawn in the area’s glacier-fed, freshwater streams.

The remaining four varieties of Pacific salmon-sockeye, coho, chum and pink-are also found in the general area.

Many anglers are now trying to catch what’s known as a “grand slam”-all five species of salmon. Some say an easy way to remember which kind is which is to match them up with the fingers on your hand.

• Thumb-Chum salmon (Dog). The best fishing for this fish is mid-July to late August. Chum salmon have a firm texture, tempting orange-pink color and delicate flavor that makes it a perfect fish for smoking. The average weight is eight pounds and they can grow to be 25 to 27 inches long.

• Pointer finger-Sockeye salmon (Red). Most available late May to early June or mid-July, sockeye salmon are the second most abundant Alaskan salmon species. This species turns from a silvery color to a bright red body and green head as they begin the journey upriver to spawn. Their average weight is six pounds and they can grow to almost three feet in length.

• Middle finger-King salmon (Chinook). The best fishing for king salmon is mid-June to mid- July. The largest species of salmon in Alaska, they are prized for their color, high oil content, firm texture and succulent taste. Average weight is approximately 20 pounds and length ranges from 30 to 40 inches.

• Ring finger-Silver salmon (Coho). With its orange-red flesh, firm texture and delicate flavor, cohos are very popular among locals. The best fishing for them is found in early August to mid-September. Cohos are the second largest of the species, with average weights of 12 pounds, and range from 25 to 35 inches in length.

• Pinky finger-Pink salmon (Humpy). At the height of their run, millions of pinks swim up the freshwater rivers and streams to spawning grounds. Pinks are the smallest and most abundant of the species and average about two to three pounds. The best fishing for pinks takes place in mid-July to late August.

Fisherman should know how to identify the salmon fish that they catch. This is very important because it is against regulations to angle for certain kinds of salmon fish species and it would not do you any good to violate the law as you would be liable to pay a fine and maybe undergo severe outcome. You should only catch what you have a license for. It is quite easy to learn how to identify the various salmon fish species. Some of the tips given below will help you with this.

The tips given below will only pertain to the mature salmon fish and not to smelts and juvenile fish.

1. Chinook – which is one of the names given to a species of salmon fish is also known as the black mouth and king. Different species of salmon fish go by different names. The Chinook is the largest amongst the species of Pacific salmon, and can be easily recognized by the well-defined black coloration of the lower gums. The king salmon or Chinook is brown and olive in color on the back and has a dark black color on the sides. This fish also has many dark small spots on the back.

2. Coho – or Silver salmon which is another name for them, are not as big as the king salmon or the Chinook in size. The head is a bluish green color and so is the back. The gill covers are reddish right through the year, but the sides are a brilliant red or wine color and this depends on the time of the year.

3. Chum – which is another of the salmon species does not come too close to the shore or inland and prefers to stay in salt water. This is the second largest of the species of Pacific salmon and is clearly recognized by the purplish blue to red color and its horizontal bars. These fish have a very pronounced set of teeth which are very unique.

4. Sockeye – could be mistaken for the Coho because of its extreme red color. These fish do not move into the ocean and salt water until they have spent two years in a lake during the initial stage of their lives. The female is not as brightly colored as the male fish and there are no distinct spots on this fish. There is a noticeable hump on the back of the male Sockeyes just in front of the dorsal fin.

5. Kokanee – which is very much like the Sockeye, lives all its life in fresh water and does not go into salt water ever. The color and physical features are just like the Sockeye.

To be really in a good position to identify the different species of salmons, it is a good idea to bring a book on salmons along with you so that if you are not too sure you can always look for help. If you find that you have gone beyond the limit of your catch or have the wrong species of salmons it is better to return the catch to the water.

Huge Chinook salmon easily top the list of all the trophy fish that recreational fishermen dream of catching. With normal sizes ranging between 20 and 30 pounds and true trophy fish weighing in in the 60 pound range coupled with incredible power Chinook salmon are some of the hardest fighting fish you can hope to lay hooks into. When fishing for Chinook salmon on open water, trolling is the most common method of angling. There are some secrets and tips that will greatly increase your chances of success when it comes to boating a Chinook salmon.

Timing and location is key when trolling for Chinook salmon. It is senseless to spend hours on the water and gallons of fuel trolling when the fish just plain aren’t ‘in yet’. One good method to track the progress of Chinook as they migrate is to keep track of your local fishing boards and tackle shops and what is happening. Additionally, knowing where the Chinook will be when they do arrive is essential. Chinook like most salmon will have specific areas that they congregate in before moving to the rivers to spawn. These are the spots you should focus your attention on.

Pay close attention to your speed and direction you’re trolling. Salmon typically will try and keep their noses pointed upstream when given a choice. This allows them to zero and on prey both by sight and scent. You can use this to your advantage by trolling with the flow of the tide whenever possible. This increases the amount of time the Chinook have too see, feel and smell your lure and react to it.

‘Match the hatch’ to catch more and bigger Chinook salmon. While it is true that you may catch Chinook on any given lure on any given day, presenting them with a lure that looks like what they are feeding on both in size and color will greatly increase the chances they will bite. Quite often salmon will follow a lure for some distance before deciding to truly eat it.

Your choice of hooks can greatly affect your success rate when fishing for Chinook salmon. Pay special attention to the hooks that come pre-rigged on lures as they are often times of poor quality and dull right out of the box. The same can be said for pre-tied herring rigs. Oftentimes you only get one or two chances for a hook set when a Chinook attacks your lure, having sharp high quality looks will increase your odds that when they bite that the hooks will stick.

Scent plays a big factor when fishing for Chinook salmon. This means both the scent that you want them to smell and the scent you don’t want to smell. This means you need to keep your lures free of smells that will turn the fish off such as grease, gasoline, and even oil from your own fingers. Cleanliness is a must! Giving your lures a positive scent is definitely part of a successful Chinook salmon fishing trip. Liberally applying sent your lures helps ring in the dinner bell and entice them to bite.

When fishing for Chinook salmon you must know how deep to go. Chinook salmon are not afraid to go deep, love to feed off small bottom fish, and will only rarely be found at a ’suspended’ depth. In most cases to be very successful at Chinook salmon fishing you need to do what we call ‘Knuckle Dragging’. This means that you must keep your downrigger right on the bottom. The goal is to keep your lure in the bottom 5 feet of the water column where the Chinook are feeding.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when Chinook salmon fishing. Just because everyone and their cousin is fishing in particular bar doesn’t mean that is the best place for you. Look for other holding areas that other people may have overlooked or that are receiving less pressure. This may mean that you are targeting fewer fish, but fish that are more receptive to your presentation.

Chinook salmon fishing like anything else takes practice and experience. Keep records of what fishing top of what lures, where and what depth. Don’t be afraid to ask questions on fishing boards and at the local tackle shops to find out what has been working for other people. While it is always good to test out new lures and techniques, it is a good idea to start with the ’standard lures’ to begin fishing with. With time you’ll learn what lures and techniques work best for you and will put the most Chinook salmon in your boat.

Most people like salmon, even when they aren’t big fans of other fish varieties. It’s meaty texture, rich color and flavor make it an appealing idea for a main course substitute for the old standbys. But, if you aren’t familiar with the varieties and choices in species and cuts, it can be a bit daunting when trying to determine what it is you want or need, as well as how your choice will determine how you cook it, or how it will taste. This article will hopefully clear up some of the confusion and help you to make a better, more educated choice when buying your next salmon.

A relative of the trout, the salmon comes in a variety of types, but the most common grounds for argument are the superiority of farm raised versus wild, and Pacific versus Atlantic. While there isn’t much difference between Pacific and Atlantic salmon other than their life spans, the difference between wild and farm-raised salmon is significant, at least in my humble opinion. The wild salmon has a firmer, more meaty, and deeply colored flesh when compared to the farm raised variety (I believe this difference in firmness is in part due to the handling of the salmon during processing and shipping).

Additionally, in the tradition of any game meat, the wild salmon has a stronger, more superior salmon flavor. If you ever have the opportunity to sample a salmon that comes from the wild, you will never see what the fishmonger at your grocery store has to offer the same way again. Most of what you would receive from him or any grocery is farm-raised Atlantic salmon, because of its great abundance. There are a big variety of other salmon available each with their own great characteristics:

Atlantic salmon – Found throughout the Atlantic Ocean, averaging 10 – 12 pounds in size. The average Atlantic salmon has a vivid pink tint and rich, oily flesh, which translates into lots of flavor.

Pacific salmon – five major species

Pink salmon – Range in size from three to five pounds and have a light pink and delicate flesh. Because of their abundance, Pink salmon accounts for the majority of salmon used in cans.

King or Chinook salmon – range from 15 to more than 100 pounds, averaging around 20 pounds. They vary in color from off-white to a deep red, with meat that is firm, and tender, with a deeply satisfying flavor.

Sockeye salmon – average around 5 – 7 pounds. Has a higher fat content than other varieties, which means a more richly flavored meat. Sockeye are most easily recognized by their deep red flesh.

Chum salmon – Average around 10 pounds. More mild and pale than the other varieties of salmon, with an extremely low fat content.

Silver salmon – Similar in size to the sockeye, and also having a relatively bright red flesh, Silver salmon do not have the same fat content as Sockeye or King salmon, offering a less rich meat.

When selecting your fish, there are a few items that you must look for, and if any of them is missing or questionable, look elsewhere because few things will make you quite as miserable as food poisoning from fish. Fish naturally begin to break down from the moment they are pulled from their water habitat, so proper handling and care is essential. The following are a few tips that you should keep in mind when purchasing or handling salmon:

1. Pick your cut – whole, steak or filet. A whole fish can’t be beat when serving a large group, especially when it comes to economics. It offers the flexibility of being able to be served stuffed or decorated for presentation, or divided into individual servings such as filets or steaks. Taking a whole salmon and converting it into filets or steaks requires a bit of effort, but is quite simple, and usually far more cost effective than the prepared cuts from the store. The filet is the de-boned, and sometimes un-skinned, sides of the salmon. The steak is a vertical cut made through the salmon, usually around an inch in thickness

2. You are spending good money on this fish; so before you buy it, take the time to really examine it. A fish that isn’t fresh or has been poorly handled simply cannot offer the same satisfying meal that a fresh fish would. Any monger worth his salt with nothing to hide will gladly let you take a sniff and look. Whether you are buying a filet, steak, or whole fish, ask your fishmonger to let you smell and hold it. Take a deep whiff and look for the smell of the ocean – salty sweet. If it smells like a fish, it indicates the fish is old and hasn’t been kept at appropriate temperatures.

The flesh should be in good shape, intact (not look feathered), and firm. It should bounce back when pressed gently, not leaving an indentation. The skin should be clean and not slimy, with a nice shine and scales that do not readily fall off.

If you are looking at a whole fish, the color of the gills should be bright pink to a deep red, and the cavity clean and free from blood and fluids. Next, look the fish in the eyes. This is the easiest indicator of freshness and how well the fish has been handled. The eyes should be clear and well rounded. If they are cloudy, or have sunk into the eye socket, the fish is out of date or took a beating. Take a pass and move on to the next specimen. If you a seeing that a large part of a particular vendors inventory isn’t up to snuff, you may want to consider looking for a new supplier entirely.

3. The natural decomposition of the fish, and subsequent spoilage, is slowed by keeping the fish in cold environments, so follow these refrigeration and defrosting tips to make sure your fish isn’t, and doesn’t, become unsafe:

a. Take a close look at the stores display case. Most local food codes require that the fish in the display case must be consistently refrigerated at 29 degrees F., so confirm this by looking for a thermometer somewhere around the case. The ice must be clean and fresh, with the fish not sitting in puddles of water or blood. Temperatures can vary as much as 25 degrees F. between the top fish and bottom pieces when stacked because of the lighting, air current, etc., so make sure to obtain a piece that is close to the ice, preferably directly on top of the ice.

b. Do not purchase salmon, or any fish or seafood for that matter, if you plan on making a number of additional stops before you get home. We can’t emphasize enough that fish must be kept cold to prevent rapid spoilage. It doesn’t do well even for short times in warm conditions, especially the temperatures your car will reach on a sunny day.

c. As soon as you get home, remove the fish from the wrapping from the store, rinse it with cold running water, and re-wrap in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of foil. Store it in your refrigerator in the coldest part, usually the bottom shelf towards the back. Food is unsafe at temperatures between 40F and 140F, and most people are unaware that their refrigerators operate in this unsafe region. Because most refrigerators don’t provide an easy way of knowing the internal temperature of the cooling box (whose idea was that goofy knob anyway?), it is a good idea to hang a thermometer somewhere inside so you can ensure it is operating safely.

d. It is not advisable to keep fish unfrozen for longer than a day or so, and if possible, it is best not to purchase fish until the day you plan to use it. Should you come across a great deal on salmon, you can freeze it safely by wrapping tightly in a combination of plastic wrap, foil, and ziploc bags. It will store well in the freezer for about 6 months, and manage to maintain most of its texture and taste.

e. To defrost frozen fish, place it in your refrigerator approximately 24 – 30 hours prior to serving. Do not attempt to defrost it quickly by leaving it on the countertop or in a warm water bath. Food becomes most susceptible to bacterial growth and contamination between the temperatures of 40F and 140F, so it is imperative to take the time to defrost any frozen fish in the refrigerator and bring it out just prior to use to prevent any issues with food poisoning. Once defrosted, take a smell of it again. Make sure that it doesn’t have that strong fishy smell. The best rule is simple – if in doubt, throw it out!!

Joe Johnson is a proud Texan and founding partner and chief pit-master with Caroline’s Rub, where he is in charge of product promotion and development for their line of gourmet dry rubs, smoked salt, and Texas chili seasoning.

On the morning of May 15th, 32,000 pounds of Copper River salmon arrived at the Seattle-Tacoma airport just after sunrise. Alaska is expected to deliver over 160,000 pounds of the delicacy on eight different flights across the country. Depending on this season’s catch, Alaska Airlines alone would be flying more than 26 million pounds of Copper River salmon this year.

Copper River salmon at the beginning of the fishing season can easily cost over twenty dollars per pound, tapering off a little as the season progresses. So what makes Copper River salmon so tasty and good?

The Copper River is one of the longest and most rugged rivers in Alaska. It cuts through the Chugach mountains and stretches for three hundred miles through glacier-fed waters full of hard charging rapids.

Every May, around the 15th, the first salmon of the season return to the rivers and streams of Alaska. The Copper River salmon is one of the first. Because the Copper River salmon’s journey is so long, their bodies store up extra fats and oils to survive the entire trip. It is this high fat and oil content that make the Copper River salmon so tasty and popular.

The Copper River salmon is a bright silvery salmon with red flesh, a firm texture, and a very rich flavor.

The fat eaten from fish, like salmon, is filled with Omega 3 fatty acids, which are a group of fats necessary for a healthy diet. Some of the health benefits of the Omega 3 fats include: protection against heart disease and stroke, aid in the proper development and functioning of the brain and nervous system, and prevention of arthritis and migraine headaches. Copper River salmon, because of their high oil content, have an even higher amount of Omega 3 than most other salmon.

Red Salmon is the third most popular fish eaten in America after tuna and shrimp. Nutrition experts say this kind of fatty fish is good for the health, especially for heart health. This is because wild-caught cold water fish, like Red Salmon, have a higher content of omega-3 fatty acids than warm water fish.

According to Dr. Donald Hensrud, M.D., chair of Mayo Clinic’s Division of Preventive Medicine and Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine and Nutrition, “Omega-3 fatty acids have many potential beneficial effects including improving cognitive function in developing children, decreasing triglycerides, lowering blood pressure, reducing blood clotting, and enhancing immune function.” The strongest benefit from omega-3 fatty acids is stated to be reducing the risk of sudden cardiac death, which appears to be due to decreasing the risk of abnormal heart rhythms.

Besides being rich in omega 3 fatty acids, Red Salmon is high in protein, low in calories and saturated fat. It is also a very good source of selenium, niacin and vitamin B12, as well as a good source of phosphorous, magnesium and vitamin B6.

Selenium is a trace element the body needs for normal growth and to help support the immune system. Niacin helps in the functioning of the digestive system, skin, and nerves. It is necessary for the conversion of food to energy. Vitamin B12 is important for metabolism and in the maintenance of the central nervous system. It helps in the formation of red blood cells by breaking down homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood. Too much homocysteine in the blood (plasma) is considered a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Red Salmon and other cold water fatty fish is often called “brain food” because of their high concentration of omega-3 fats. The human brain is more than 60% structural fat. For brain cells to function properly the structural fat needs to be primarily omega-3 fats. Because Omega-3 fats are especially fluid and flexible they maximize the brain cell’s ability to absorb nutrients and eliminate waste.

Red Salmon has got everything good going for it as a nutritional food. Very few foods compare to the health value of Red Salmon. Even the FDA recommends that we eat as much as we like of this fish. However, surveys show that farm-produced Red Salmon contain a higher percentage of toxins than Red Salmon found in the wild. In some studies, the concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and toxic dioxins were significantly higher in farm-raised Red Salmon than in wild red salmon. This has stirred up some concerns.

The contamination found in farm-raised Red Salmon is largely attributed to the feed which farm-raised salmon are fed. The feed consists of grounded fish containing higher concentrations of a variety of persistent organic pollutants (POP) such as PCBs, dioxins, and pesticides. Once ingested, PCBs build up in body fat and take years to break down. In high levels the chemicals are thought to affect human nervous, immune and reproductive systems. Besides this, most fish farms are overcrowded and fish farmers commonly treat fish with antibiotics and chemicals to prevent outbreak of disease.

When purchasing canned red salmon make sure it is made from Red Salmon caught in the wild rather than farm-produced Red Salmon. Wild Red Salmon found in the interiors of Alaska are found to have the least contaminants. One of the more popular varieties is the Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon. This fish eats krill and other tiny shellfish giving its flesh the distinctive red color. The flesh has a firm texture with a mild flavor making it a delightful choice for fish lovers.

The question of whether or not salmon feed in freshwater is one that has fascinated anglers for many years. It’s viewed by many as perhaps the greatest of all of the many mysteries associated with this wonderful king of fish. But is it really such a mystery, given all that we know about the migrating salmon? To answer this question properly we need to take a look at the life of the salmon and its journey from egg to adult fish.

I guess the first question to ask is, “Did salmon always migrate from rivers to the sea”? We can only speculate on the answer to that, but speculate is exactly what I’m going to do, so please bear with me for a couple of paragraphs!

I don’t think that it’s too big a stretch to presume that there was a time when salmon spent all of their lives in freshwater? I’d guess that the species started out relatively small but that, over time, their average size got to the point where the available food supplies were no longer enough to sustain their growing population. At that point some of the more adventurous salmon would have begun the search for greener pastures, which eventually led to the sea.

Although the sea presented a bounty, the like of which they’d never seen before, there was a problem. Freshwater fish need salt secreting gills in order to survive in salt water. For that reason their initial forays into the sea were probably short and sweet, but as they evolved they could spend longer periods there. Eventually they adapted to sea life. However, they couldn’t stay there indefinitely as salmon eggs cannot develop in salt water. That is one problem that evolution hasn’t found the solution to as yet, so the salmon have to return to freshwater to spawn.

Right that is enough of the speculation! Let’s look at what we know about the salmon’s life journey. I’m not going to get into the detail on when eggs hatch etc because there are lots of articles on that over the web. Suffice to say that salmon go through various stages of growth, from egg, to Alevin, to Parr, to Smolt and finally to adult salmon.

Perhaps one of the most wondrous aspects of this development process is that the salmon go through the various stages at varying rates! For example some parr will smolt within the first 2 years, whilst others will not smolt for 3 or 4 years. You can even see this variation in fish that are all from the same batch of eggs. Likewise the smolts spend varying lengths in the sea. They even come back to spawn at various times of the year, e.g. spring, summer and autumn salmon. This behaviour is also observable in kelts, which return to the sea at varying intervals. Presumably the reason for this is to guard against mass extinction? Even if a catastrophic event were to happen, not all of the fish would be impacted, thus ensuring the survival of the species.

A salmon leaves the river as a smolt when it has developed the salt secreting gills it needs to survive in the sea. At some point during its life at sea the salmon gets the urge to return to the river of its birth to spawn. This urge triggers a physiological change in the fish, which results in it effectively switching off its feeding mechanism, much like those animals that hibernate for the winter months. Prior to this physiological change, the salmon has fed for a number of years at sea, building up its fat reserves, and it is now prepared to go without food until it returns from spawning. These are pretty much established facts at this stage and are rarely disputed.

So if a salmon switches off its feeding mechanism, why then does it sometimes take the baits and artificial lures presented by the angler? And why is it more likely to take in certain conditions? Some people say that salmon take because they are territorial, and this makes them strike out at the lure or bait, which is invading their patch. I honestly don’t think that this is a defensible position for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, why would a salmon feel threatened by another species, which is much smaller than itself? Surely they’d only be threatened by other salmon. Have you ever seen a bull chasing a bird which has landed in its field? The second reason for debunking the territorial theory is because one of the most common times for a salmon to take is when it is resting between periods when it is running. Surely if a salmon was being territorial it would be much more likely to defend its patch when it gets to its spawning ground? In fact, as we all know, when a salmon gets settled into its spawning lie it’s even harder to tempt, if anything!

I believe that salmon have two main goals when they enter the river. The first is to spawn. The second is to conserve energy so that they can make it back to the sea to resume feeding. In order to conserve energy, salmon will rarely move about in poorly oxygenated water. Of course there will always be the odd exception but in general that is the case. Water which is low or warm, or both, is often poorly oxygenated. Cold water can be well oxygenated but the fact that it is cold will stiffen up the fish’s muscles and therefore it will remain less active in order to conserve energy. After all it takes more energy to move about with cold, stuff muscles.

You might be asking, “What has the fish’s desire to conserve energy, got to do with whether or not it is a likely taker”? I’d say, quite a bit, because it has been pretty well established, mostly through observation, that salmon are much more likely to take when they are on the move (or at least when they are prepared to move). Maybe so, but isn’t the real question, “Why does the salmon take at all, if it switches off its feeding mechanism before leaving the sea”?

Over the years there have been many studies carried out, which have shown that, when salmon are caught their stomachs are almost always empty. Some of these studies have also shown that, in almost every case the fish’s alimentary canal has shrunk from lack of use. If the fish was feeding in freshwater, that wouldn’t be the case. So, case dismissed! Salmon do not feed in freshwater! Well, not quite because the fact still remains that fish do take bait and artificial lures into their mouth. Presumably they sometimes do they same with some of the other food sources the river has to offer.

It is my belief that the physical evidence is pretty clear; salmon do not feed in freshwater and the fact that they sometimes take an anglers offering, can be explained as a momentary lapse where they succumb to a deep seated urge to feed, much like that of an ex-smoker getting the urge to have a cigarette (even though they’ve been off them for a long time). I also believe that in most cases they snap out of this reflex action before they go ahead and swallow their quarry. Of course, there are the odd exceptions where the fish will swallow the bait (or food), but in my experience these instances are few and far between.

The only time a salmon truly feeds in freshwater is after a kelt has gone through the reverse physiological changes (i.e. turning on its feeding mechanism again), in preparation for its return to the sea. There are lots of people who have observed kelts feeding on hatches of flies and I contend that this only happens after they’ve gone through the change and are on their way back to the sea.

My scribbles here may not have solved the mystery of whether or not salmon feed in freshwater, but hopefully they’ve given you a new perspective on the question. There are still many remaining mysteries pertaining to the atlantic salmon, which we may never solve. For one, no one really knows how these fantastic fish find their way back to river of their birth (and mostly to the exact pool). Many have speculated that it’s some sort of chemical trail but like my ramblings above on the evolution of the salmon, this is purely speculation.