Japan: Sakuramasu
Rusian: Sima
The southernmost and most warm-water
representative of Pacific salmon, widespread preferentially in Japan Sea basin.
Enters rivers of Korea, Primorye, Japan and Sakhalin to travel northward to the
coasts of Kamchatka.
One of the most beautiful representatives of Pacific
salmon, particularly in wedding attire. Externally, the cherry salmon
resembles the Pink Salmon, but differs from other salmon species by presence on
its body sides of transversal stripes. In English this species is also called “cherry salmon”. Like in other Pacific salmon, its life
cycle is subdivided into marine and freshwater periods; in rivers, this species
lives from 1 to 3 years and can form living fresh-water forms. The sea life
cycle, depending on the age of the young, continues for 2-3.5 years.
In the sea,
the cherry salmon feeds intensely on crustaceans, less often on young fish. On
attaining sexual maturity, in its third through seventh years of life it enters
rivers to spawn. Its spawning run starts earlier than that of other salmon
species. After spawning, passing fish die, and those that remain alive
(preferentially dwarf males) participate in spawning next year. After
emerging from the nest, the young do not roll into the sea, like those of
Pink and Chum Salmon, but remain in spawning areas, in the upper reaches of
rivers, and on shallows with weak currents. The young move to pools and rolls of
the river core to feed on chironomid, stone fly and may fly larvae, and on air
insects. The cherry salmon rolls into the sea in its second, occasionally even
third year of life.
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