Glossary

a measurement that is about the size of a quarter or a small paperclip

the second stage of development after the salmon hatches from the egg

when an animals body is the same colors and patterns as their surroundings.  It makes them hard to see and is a way to keep them safe from predators.

An animal whose body temperature changes as their surroundings change.  A fish in cold water has a lower body temperature than a fish in warm water.

when a water animal has different colors on their backs from their bellies so that they are hard to spy from predators.  Like this example with penguins, thier white belly makes them blend in with the surface of the water when you look from below, but their dark-colored back makes them blend in withthe ocean floor when an animal is above them.

the direction the water is flowing.  It is very hard to swim against the current.

a cement wall build to control the water in a river

the fish dies, and their body breaks down and turns back into nurtients that feed living things in the water

a baby salmon as it grows inside the egg

animals that are in danger of dying out.  This means that soon there may not be any of them left

people who use science, math and art skills to design things that solve problems.  

where a river meets the ocean, creating an area where salt and freshwater mix.

the mother salmon

the male salmon has to fertilize the eggs in order for them to hatch.  If the eggs are not fertilized, they will never grow into salmon.  The eggs will die

the part of a fish they use to move, balance and stop

Natural water formations like rivers, lakes, ponds and streams.  The water is not salty.

the third stage of development after alevins.  At this stage, the salmon have left the nest and have teeth, fins and scales.

the "breathing" part of a fish that takes in oxygen under water

the people in charge of making laws and rules that tell people what they can and cannot do

the small rocks found on the bed of a river or stream

the specific place where an animal lives

when a baby animal breaks out of it's egg

a place where people try to help salmon stay safe by helping the eggs hatch, and then releasing young salmon into nearby rivers

a common schooling fish that is prey to salmon

the process of being born, growing and changing, laying eggs, and then dying

the father salmon

a female and a male work together to lay eggs and fertilize them in order to grow new baby salmon

a mature salmon has grown enough that now it is able to spawn--to lay eggs

when the salmon move from one habitat to another.

the slimy film that covers a fish's body.  It protecrts them from scratches and keeps bad bacteria out!

the natural things that bodies need to grow and stay healthy

people are catching too many of this type of fish.  If it continues, all of the fish will have been eaten and there will be no more left.

the substance in the air that we breathe is the same substance in the water that fish need to live.  We use our lungs to get oxygen out of the air, and fish use their gills to get oxygen out of the water.

the 4th stage of development after fry.  The salmon can swim freely and are covered with spots and camouflaging marks.

the teeny, tiny animals and plants that live in the water.  We need special microscopes to see them, but many animals eat them to survive

a river that is full of trash and waste water.  The pollution kills animals and makes it impossible to live there.

the animal that eatsanother animal.  A salmon's predators are dolphins, sharks, orcas, and of course, people!

the animals that another animal eats.

to try to help keep salmon safe be reducing predators, overfishing or the damage to their habitat

the special nest that a mother salmon makes to lay her eggs in.  It is found in the bed of a stream wth cool, clear water

a sort of water stairway built to help salmon travel upstream to thier nesting areas

the process when a salmon travels upstream from their estuary to the quiet part of their river to spawn

water that naturally contains salt, usually found in oceans

small hard pieces, similar to our finger nails, that cover a fish's body and protect it from scrapes and scratches

animals that make a hard shell to protect themselves.  Things like crabs, muscles, lobsters, shrimp, and clams

the 5th stage of development.  This is when salmon are grown enough to leave freshwater.  They look like small versions of adult salmon.

when fish lay eggs and fertilize them, this is called spawning

different types of the same animal

a soft-bodied fish, similar to a jellyfish

swimming opposite to the direction of the water.  This makes swimming very hard work because all of the water is pushing you backwards

a vertebrate animal is an animal that has a backbone, or a row of bones down thier back

a part of a river where water falls down rocks as it flows downstream

a large, yellow sack on an alevins' body that holds all the food it needs to grow.  When the yolk sac is gone, the alevin is mature enough to leave the redd to look for it's own food.