The salmon fish species is one of the top favorite to fish. It is also a highly nutritious fish species. Not only is the sockeye salmon one of the tastiest fish in North America, all salmon species contain high levels of omega 3 fatty acids which help with good heart, brain and eye health. In total there are about 7 main salmon fish species. Most can live in both salty and fresh water species and in this article we shall be looking at what they eat in the wild.
Plankton
Plankton are tiny free-flowing organisms found within large water bodies such as seas and oceans. Once the young salmon have left rivers and entered the seas, they mostly feed on plankton. There are many different types of plankton in the seas and these are easy to feed on because little hunting is needed on the part of the fish. The tiny salmon just need to swim with their mouths open to net the plankton.
Algae
Algae is another huge dietary source of food for salmon, especially while they are still young although, for the sockeye salmon, they feed on algae all through their adult life as well. It is also important to note that salmon have such high levels of omega 3 fatty acids because of all the algae they feed on. Some of the algae they eat include kelp, wakame, seaweed, and bladder wrack.
Insects
Insects provide a huge source of animal protein for the salmon as well as other types of fish. The salmon do feed on both aquatic insects that they come across at sea, as well as terrestrial insects that they find at the surface of the waters such as beetles and mosquitoes.
Crustaceans
The salmon also feed on small crustaceans while at sea. Some of the crustaceans that they feed on include squid, shrimp, crayfish, crab, lobsters, prawns, and barnacles. Salmon will typically eat these once they have matured some more are now able to handle slightly bigger prey than insects and plankton.
Other fish
Once they have matured, salmon will often feed on other smaller fish, also called prey fish or forage fish. Some of the fish species that fall under this category include herring, pelagic, sardines, anchovies, krill, menhaden, Caribbean reef squid, amphipods, and eels. These provide the grown salmon with more energy and larger protein to grow bigger.