smolt
Silver-scaled young salmon
A smolt is a young salmon or trout at the stage when it develops silvery scales and migrates from freshwater to the sea for the first time.
This transformation, called smoltification, involves physiological changes that prepare the fish to survive in saltwater.
The term appears mainly in fisheries science and conservation contexts, where tracking smolt populations helps assess the health of salmon runs.
Salmon-family fish
- salmonPink-fleshed migratory fish
- troutFreshwater game fish
- steelheadAnadromous rainbow trout
- cohoNorth Pacific salmon species
chinook · Atlantic salmon · sockeye · gill · scales · fin · silvering · osmoregulation
Steady continuous flow
- riverLarge flowing watercourse
- estuaryTidal mixing zone
- freshwaterNon-saline aquatic environment
- saltwaterOcean water, chemically speaking
ocean · watershed · riparian · gravel · pool · riffle · tributary · natal
Immature salmon with markings
- fryCook in hot fat
- alevinLarval salmon stage
- fingerlingImmature fish, hatchery-sized
- grilseFirst-year returning salmon
spawner · adult · egg · roe · slink · outmigration · imprinting · homing
Egg incubation facility
tank · raceway · fingerling · nursery · captive · farmed · wild · broodstock
At risk of extinction
- populationAll inhabitants combined
- restorationReturning something to condition
- recoveryRegaining what was lost
- habitat lossElimination of living spaces
dam · fish ladder · culvert · predation · survival · mortality · watershed · spawning ground
salmonid
Salmon-family fish
coho · chinook · Atlantic salmon · sockeye · gill · scales · fin · silvering · osmoregulation · physiological
stream
Steady continuous flow
- riverLarge flowing watercourse
- estuaryTidal mixing zone
- freshwaterNon-saline aquatic environment
saltwater · ocean · watershed · riparian · gravel · pool · riffle · tributary · natal · brackish
parr
Immature salmon with markings
- fryCook in hot fat
- alevinLarval salmon stage
- fingerlingImmature fish, hatchery-sized
grilse · spawner · adult · egg · roe · slink · outmigration · imprinting · homing · anadromous
hatchery
Egg incubation facility
pen · tank · raceway · fingerling · nursery · captive · farmed · wild · broodstock · tagging
endangered
At risk of extinction
- populationAll inhabitants combined
- restorationReturning something to condition
- recoveryRegaining what was lost
habitat loss · dam · fish ladder · culvert · predation · survival · mortality · watershed · spawning ground · reintroduction