river 420 miles (676 kilometers) cen Idaho flowing into Snake River
Name that originally referred to the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and now also refers to six species of Pacific salmon (genus Oncorhynchus, family Salmonidae): chum, chinook, pink, and sockeye salmon; coho; and the cherry salmon (O. masu) of Japan. Adult salmon live at sea, then migrate, fighting rapids and leaping high falls, to the stream where they hatched to spawn. Pacific salmon die soon after spawning; many Atlantic salmon live to spawn again. See alsotrout.