Credit: Linda Pitkin
Manx Name: Braddan Atlantagh
Food: Juvenile Atlantic Salmon eat insects and even plankton whereas the adults mostly eat small fish such as herring and capelin. They may also eat crustaceans like amphipods (shrimp-like creatures) and cephalopods like octopus.
Habitat: They are hatched in only the cleanest rivers but then spend most of their lives at sea.
Threats: The number of Atlantic Salmon is decreasing due to river pollution, over-fishing and the increased temperatures of the rivers. Our rivers are increasing in temperature partly due to climate change but mostly as result of cutting down trees that provide essential shade.
Your Wildlife Expert Challenge: Teach all the people you live with about the 3 P's so we all know to only flush poo, pee and paper down the toilet, to help keep our seas clean.
Top tip: Atlantic Salmon spend most of their lives at sea. You could learn more about the Isle of Man’s marine nature reserves here.