Why do Salmon go upstream to spawn?

Salmon have a natural instinct to return to the place they were born to lay their eggs ( to spawn ). This is a safe place to, usually a quiet area of a river, where young salmon upstream can grow. The adult salmon stop feeding when they first reach fresh water, so they gradually become weaker and weaker.


They often wear themselves out trying to reach the exact place where they want to deposits their eggs. The young salmon remain in the river for a few months, then make the journey to the sea. They stay there for up to four years, then the cycle begins all over again.

Fact:

Adult frog very often return to the pond in which they hatched to lay their spawn. Frog spawn hatches into larvae called tadpoles after about a week.



A Sockeye Salmon Spawns in the Shallow Water of the Adams River Photographic Poster Print by Paul Nicklen, 48x64
Journey Home of the Chinook Salmon
Atlantic Salmon Swimming Upriver to Spawn Photographic Poster Print by Paul Nicklen, 36x48
Pink Salmon Head Upstream to Spawn Photographic Poster Print, 30x40