fish spawning
Eggs in water
Fish spawning is the reproductive process in which fish release eggs and sperm into water, where fertilization occurs externally.
Most fish species spawn rather than give birth to live young, with females depositing eggs in specific locations—gravel beds, aquatic plants, or open water—while males release milt to fertilize them.
Spawning often occurs seasonally and may involve elaborate courtship behaviors or migrations to particular breeding grounds.
Salmon return to their natal streams for spawning.
- salmon runSeasonal upstream fish trek
- water temperatureWarmth of a liquid
- gametesReproductive cells for fusion
- courtship displaysBehaviors to attract mates
- salinityDissolved mineral concentration
oviposition · fertilization · gonads · oxygen levels · fecundity · embryogenesis · nest building · migration · parental care · milt · photoperiod · redds · breeding programs · reproductive cycle · mating ritual · river flow · breeding season · tidal patterns
- marine resourcesseafood, shellfish, aquaculture, ocean resources, coastal waters
- spawningsalmon run, milt, roe, gametes, fry
- floodingmonsoon, flash flood, flood damage, flood zone, river flood
- wetlandsswamp, swamps, marsh, marshes, marshland
- Alaska WildernessDenali, Alaska Range, caribou, brown bears, grizzly bear
- Great LakesLake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Ontario
fish spawninglive birth
Baby born alive
giving birth · gestation · brooding · nursing · lactation
fish spawningsenescence
Gradual functional decline with age
die-off · end of life · dying · decomposition
fish, spawn, fishes, fishing, fished, fisher, fishers, fishery, fisheries