The diagram illustrates the stages of development in the life cycle of the salmon.
Overall, the life cycle of the salmon includes six stages for approximately seven years from the hatching of the eggs to death.
At the beginning of the cycle, the adult salmon lay its eggs in fresh water or a river, and the eggs take about three months to hatch. After hatching, the baby salmon, called alevin, feeds off yolk sac, which contains nutrients that help it grow. Several weeks later, it takes the form of a young fish, known as a fry, and starts swimming. When it is several months old, the salmon, known as a parr, develops some “finger” markings.
At around 1 to 3 years of age, the smolt forms groups and swin to the sea. The adult salmon spends about five years in the ocean before it is able to spawn. Next, the spawning adult returns to fresh water or a river to lay new eggs before dying within a couple of weeks, and then the life cycle begins again.