Atlantic salmon
Enable an agent to recognise Atlantic salmon, assess an identified individual or population in its life-stage and habitat context, and determine which interventions require evidence or authorisation.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
recalled by Codex without web access - no source was read
Researched by: Codex
Purpose and description
Enable an agent to recognise Atlantic salmon, assess an identified individual or population in its life-stage and habitat context, and determine which interventions require evidence or authorisation.
Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar Linnaeus, 1758) is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae, native to the North Atlantic and its connected rivers, whose populations typically reproduce in fresh water and grow at sea, although some remain entirely in fresh water.
It can be Identify a specimen using stage-appropriate evidence and escalate ambiguous cases for expert or genetic verification.; Associate observations with an individual, cohort or population while retaining uncertainty in origin and stock assignment.; Evaluate habitat exposure and migration access against evidence applicable to the observed stage and population.; Assess growth, health and recruitment signals using comparable observations and explicit sampling limitations.; Screen proposed capture, tagging, treatment, stocking or release against biological suitability and applicable authorisations..
Distinguishing features
Resolve the organism to Salmo salar using an accepted taxonomic reference; the common name 'salmon' alone does not distinguish Atlantic salmon from Pacific salmon.
For juveniles potentially confused with brown trout, require a stage-appropriate identification key using multiple characters such as mouth, tail, fin and marking features; record unresolved identifications explicitly.
For adults, evaluate diagnostic morphology against Salmo and Oncorhynchus alternatives while accounting for changes associated with maturation and spawning.
Treat freshwater residence, anadromy, farmed origin and hatchery origin as life-history or provenance attributes, not as independent evidence of species identity.
When appearance cannot resolve identity or suspected hybrid ancestry, require a validated genetic method and its reference population coverage.
Scope
+ Taxonomic identity, accepted-name authority and links to verified taxonomy records
+ Population membership, geographic provenance and wild, hatchery or farmed origin
+ Life stages, reproductive state and migratory or freshwater-resident life history
+ Stage-specific freshwater, estuarine and marine habitat requirements and connectivity
+ Individual health, population condition, pressures and evidence governing interventions
- Salmon meat, food products, processing and nutritional composition
- Generic fish anatomy and physiology shared across species
- Aquaculture businesses, farm infrastructure and production economics
- River-basin management and marine ecosystem models beyond salmon-specific dependencies
- Fishing equipment, seafood markets and legal instruments as independently modelled things
Characteristics
- Taxonomic identity
- Accepted scientific name, authority and date; verified GBIF and NCBI identifiers; reference version Anchors observations to the species and prevents common-name or database mismatches.
- Observation subject
- Species assessment | named population or stock | cohort | individual Prevents a species-level conservation assessment from being mistaken for an individual's health or a river population's condition.
- Life stage
- Egg | alevin | fry | parr | smolt | post-smolt | adult | kelt; staging method and uncertainty Changes the interpretation of habitat, movement, condition and permissible handling.
- Life-history pathway
- Anadromous | freshwater-resident | unresolved; observed versus inferred Prevents the marine migration pathway from being imposed on every population or individual.
- Population and origin
- Natal catchment or stock; wild-born, hatchery-reared or farmed provenance; assignment method and confidence Supports interpretation of migration, genetic mixing, conservation responsibilities and release decisions.
- Body size and condition
- Length in mm with length convention; mass in g; condition index with formula Allows stage-aware growth and condition comparisons without mixing incompatible measurement methods.
- Age and reproductive state
- Freshwater age, sea age where applicable, sex, maturity and spawning history; method and uncertainty Distinguishes maturity from body size and supports interpretation of recruitment and repeat spawning.
- Habitat exposure
- Water temperature in °C, dissolved oxygen in mg/L, salinity with scale, discharge in m³/s; location, depth and time Links condition and movement to measured exposure rather than a single species-wide suitability threshold.
- Conservation assessment
- Assessment system, category, geographic scope, assessment year and source Separates global species status from regional or population-specific status and legal protection.
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 28 questions.
Species identity and provenance Establishes what organism is being described and which population or origin claims are supported.
Atlantic salmon observations can mix common-name identifications, stock labels and production origins that answer different questions.
Taxonomic recognition
Connects the Salmo salar concept to authoritative records and identification evidence.
Verified species assignment
Record the accepted name, authority, taxonomy identifiers and evidence separating the specimen from plausible salmonid alternatives.
- Which accepted-name reference establishes Salmo salar, its authority and date, and its GBIF and NCBI identifiers? provenance
- Which stage-appropriate characters or validated genetic results distinguish this specimen from brown trout, Pacific salmon or suspected hybrids? definition
Population and production origin
Separates species membership from natal origin, stock membership and rearing history.
Origin with confidence
Represent natal catchment, management stock and wild, hatchery or farm provenance as separately supported claims.
- What tagging, genetic, scale, hatchery or capture-history evidence supports the assigned origin? provenance
- Does the named stock represent a biological population, a management grouping or an unresolved mixture? boundary
Development and reproduction Interprets condition and behaviour through Atlantic salmon development and alternative life histories.
Stage, migration pathway and maturity determine which observations and interventions are meaningful.
Juvenile development and smolting
Tracks early development and evidence for transition toward seawater migration where applicable.
Stage and migration readiness
Distinguish externally assigned stage from measured physiological readiness and from an assumed migratory pathway.
- What observations distinguish egg, alevin, fry, parr and smolt in this record? definition
- What population-specific evidence supports smolt readiness, and how were season, body size and physiological indicators assessed? measurement
Maturation and spawning history
Records sex, maturity, spawning participation and post-spawning state without inferring them from size alone.
Reproductive pathway
Allow records to distinguish mature parr, returning adults and post-spawning kelts when supported by evidence.
- How were sex and maturity determined, and could stage-dependent sexual dimorphism affect identification? measurement
- What evidence establishes freshwater age, sea age where applicable, and previous spawning participation? provenance
Range, habitat and connectivity Connects populations and stages to geographic occurrence, habitat exposure and accessible movement routes.
Presence in suitable water does not establish native origin, successful recruitment or access to the habitats needed across a life cycle.
Range and stage-specific habitat
Distinguishes native range and occurrence history while evaluating habitat for the relevant stage.
Occurrence and habitat evidence
Record whether occurrence is native, introduced, stocked, escaped or uncertain and evaluate local habitat with dated measurements.
- Which sources establish whether this catchment or marine occurrence lies within native range or reflects introduction, stocking or escape? provenance
- What temperature, oxygen, flow and substrate observations support suitability for the stage present, including egg incubation where relevant? measurement
Migration routes and barriers
Examines access between spawning, rearing and feeding habitats for the population's life-history pathway.
Functional passage
Assess passage in the relevant direction and season, including delay, mortality and uncertainty in route use.
- Which routes and seasonal windows are documented for downstream juveniles and upstream adults in this population? provenance
- What evidence would justify a passage intervention at a barrier, abstraction, turbine or estuarine bottleneck? action
Health and population condition Separates individual condition and disease evidence from population abundance and recruitment.
Healthy sampled fish do not demonstrate a secure population, and low returns do not by themselves identify a disease or mortality mechanism.
Individual health and exposure
Interprets growth, injury, parasite burden and diagnostic results in their environmental and rearing context.
Condition and diagnostic confidence
Keep observed signs, measured burdens and confirmed diagnoses distinct, including sea-lice observations where relevant.
- How were body condition, lesions and parasite burdens measured relative to stage, size and habitat? measurement
- Which diagnostic evidence supports a suspected disease, and what further assessment is needed before treatment or movement? action
Returns, recruitment and survival
Evaluates population trajectories using comparable counts and estimates across life stages.
Population trend with observation limits
Relate adult returns, spawning evidence, juvenile recruitment and smolt output while preserving sampling and attribution limits.
- Which abundance or recruitment measures exist, and how were detection, sampling effort and hatchery contributions accounted for? measurement
- Can the evidence separate freshwater losses, marine survival, harvest and counting changes as explanations for the observed trend? boundary
Conservation and intervention Links conservation evidence and population-specific risks to decisions about Atlantic salmon.
Species status, local protection and biological suitability each constrain actions but cannot substitute for one another.
Assessment scope and protection
Keeps dated conservation assessments separate from jurisdiction-specific legal requirements.
Dated status and applicable rules
Attach status to the assessed taxon or population and establish which rules apply at the proposed action's place and time.
- What is the verified IUCN category and assessment year, and which regional assessments cover this population? provenance
- Which current permissions and restrictions govern capture, possession, tagging or release at this location? action
Stocking, movement and contact
Evaluates releases, transfers and wild-farmed interactions through provenance, health and recipient-population evidence.
Intervention justification and follow-up
Require a defined objective and evidence addressing genetic compatibility, disease transfer, ecological effects and monitoring.
- What evidence supports the proposed stocking, transfer or escape-response action given recipient population ancestry, health and habitat capacity? action
- Which outcomes, monitoring period and stopping criteria will determine whether the intervention benefits the intended population? measurement
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- This is recall-based information; no sources were consulted. Verify the GBIF identifier and the IUCN category, assessment year and geographic scope before adding them.
- Anadromous and landlocked forms describe life histories, not necessarily formally recognized subspecies; farmed stocks are also not a separate species.
- Size and life-stage duration vary substantially among populations. Mature males commonly develop a hooked lower jaw, and some males mature while still freshwater parr.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of Atlantic salmon this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Anadromous populations
- Landlocked freshwater populations
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of Atlantic salmon this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Zoological binomial nomenclature - Salmo salar Linnaeus, 1758 - Species name and taxonomic authority.
- NCBI Taxonomy - 8030 - Taxonomy identifier for Salmo salar.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of Atlantic salmon this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Aquaculture for food production
- Commercial fisheries where permitted
- Recreational angling
- Research on migration, homing, physiology and population genetics
- River restoration and migratory-fish conservation
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of Atlantic salmon this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Total length of returning anadromous adults - Approximately 50-100; larger individuals occur - cm
- Freshwater juvenile residence before migration to sea - Commonly 1-4; longer in some cold northern rivers - years
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of Atlantic salmon this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Dams, weirs and other barriers can prevent access to spawning and juvenile habitat.
- Warming water, low flows, pollution and reduced dissolved oxygen can impair survival and reproduction.
- Excessive harvest can reduce spawning populations.
- Parasites and infectious diseases, including sea lice during marine stages, can cause injury and mortality.
- Escaped farmed salmon can interbreed with wild populations and alter locally adapted genetic characteristics.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of Atlantic salmon this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Native populations occur on both sides of the North Atlantic, including northeastern North America and northern Europe.
- Freshwater residence, age at maturity and migration timing vary among rivers and with latitude.
- Landlocked populations complete their life cycle in fresh water; farming and introductions also occur outside the native range.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of Atlantic salmon this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Brown trout (Salmo trutta) - A separate species in the same genus; sea-going brown trout remain Salmo trutta rather than becoming Atlantic salmon.
- Pacific salmon - Species commonly called Pacific salmon belong to Oncorhynchus; Atlantic salmon belongs to Salmo and can survive spawning to reproduce again.
- Atlantic salmon population - A river-associated or otherwise delineated breeding group within the species, with its own abundance, genetic structure and conservation circumstances.
- Individual Atlantic salmon - One organism passing through egg, alevin, fry, parr and adult stages, with a smolt transition in sea-going fish; the species includes all such individuals.
- Salmon meat - A food product obtained from fish, rather than the living organism or species; the commercial term can include other salmon species.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of Atlantic salmon this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
What the second pass must settle
- Which authoritative taxonomic records confirm the accepted binomial, authority and date, and the exact GBIF and NCBI identifiers?
- What are the latest verified IUCN category and assessment year, and where do regional or population assessments differ?
- Which sources delineate native range and distinguish freshwater-resident populations from introduced, stocked or escaped occurrences?
- Which identification keys and genetic reference panels adequately resolve juvenile confusion with brown trout and suspected hybrid ancestry?
- Which population- and stage-specific thresholds for habitat exposure, smolt readiness and intervention success have sufficient evidence for operational use?