Do Salmon Have Scales?

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Salmon do have scales, and the scales have concentric rings that can be counted to determine the age of the fish. Salmon scales and skin do not have to be removed before cooking, which makes preparation easy.

Many salmon are anadromous fish that are born in fresh water, live their life in the ocean and return to fresh water for reproduction. Salmon typically die after reproduction due to exhaustion from the effort of reaching mating areas. Salmon populate the northern Pacific and Atlantic oceans and can be found in fresh water lakes and rivers in the northern U.S. Salmon have excellent eyesight and can judge distance even with targets outside the water, such as bugs.