Salmon are large fish famous for their incredible journeys and their pink-orange flesh. Most salmon are born in freshwater streams, swim out to the ocean where they grow for years, then return to the exact stream where they were born to lay eggs. This journey, called a spawning run, can stretch hundreds of miles upstream, with salmon leaping up waterfalls and fighting strong currents the entire way.

Five species of Pacific salmon live along North America's west coast: Chinook, coho, sockeye, pink, and chum. Atlantic salmon swim in the waters off the east coast. People have fished for salmon for thousands of years, and salmon remain one of the world's most popular fish to eat, whether grilled, baked, or smoked.

The word also describes a pinkish-orange color, like the color of cooked salmon flesh. You might see salmon-colored walls in a room or a salmon-colored sunset.

Salmon face serious challenges today. Dams block their spawning routes, and overfishing has reduced their numbers. Conservation efforts help protect salmon populations, including fish ladders that let salmon swim around dams and careful limits on how many fish people can catch.