Orange Steelhead Salmon eggs
Why do salmon eggs come in different colors?
Salmon eggs (roe) range in color from pale yellowish-orange to dark reddish-orange. The color varies both by species and within species and is determined by water temperature, sediment composition, age, and other factors. The eggs vary in size from the tiny sockeye roe (average ¼ inch or 5.6 mm) to the large chum roe (average almost ½ inch or 8.3 mm). Also, if a salmon egg does not get fertilized, it can lose its bright hue and turn a milky shade with patches of color.
The red color of eggs comes from carotenoids (antioxidant pigments) that the salmon get from their diet. Salmon deposit carotenoids in both their skin and eggs in preparation for spawning. It protects tissue from oxidative damage and helps regulate immune response. In a spawning adult, the red color is a signal of fitness and status, and is used to attract mates.
Learn more: Western Fisheries Research Center - Questions and Answers about Salmon
Related
Are salmon endangered worldwide?
How do salmon know where their home is when they return from the ocean?
How far do salmon travel?
How long do salmon usually live?
How many species of salmon are there and how large can they get?
When can salmon be seen migrating to their spawning area?
Where are salmon most endangered?
Why are there so few salmon left?
Why do salmon change color and die after they spawn?
Orange Steelhead Salmon eggs
Bright orange salmon eggs.
Bright orange salmon eggs.
Image of sockeye salmon. Photo provided by Milton Love, Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara.
Image of sockeye salmon. Photo provided by Milton Love, Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara.
Naturally-deposited herring eggs attached to submerged macrophytes. Coiled embryos are evident inside the eggs.
Naturally-deposited herring eggs attached to submerged macrophytes. Coiled embryos are evident inside the eggs.
CSRP Biologist Sabrina Davenport holding reproductive feamle pallid sturgeon, PLS11-020.
CSRP Biologist Sabrina Davenport holding reproductive feamle pallid sturgeon, PLS11-020.
Ten minutes of larval sampling in the Missouri River on May 24, 2011, resulted in this mass of organic debris and fish eggs.
Ten minutes of larval sampling in the Missouri River on May 24, 2011, resulted in this mass of organic debris and fish eggs.
Salmon and steelhead migrating through Bonnerville Dam.
Salmon and steelhead migrating through Bonnerville Dam.
Related
Are salmon endangered worldwide?
How do salmon know where their home is when they return from the ocean?
How far do salmon travel?
How long do salmon usually live?
How many species of salmon are there and how large can they get?
When can salmon be seen migrating to their spawning area?
Where are salmon most endangered?
Why are there so few salmon left?
Why do salmon change color and die after they spawn?
Orange Steelhead Salmon eggs
Orange Steelhead Salmon eggs
Bright orange salmon eggs.
Bright orange salmon eggs.
Image of sockeye salmon. Photo provided by Milton Love, Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara.
Image of sockeye salmon. Photo provided by Milton Love, Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara.
Naturally-deposited herring eggs attached to submerged macrophytes. Coiled embryos are evident inside the eggs.
Naturally-deposited herring eggs attached to submerged macrophytes. Coiled embryos are evident inside the eggs.
CSRP Biologist Sabrina Davenport holding reproductive feamle pallid sturgeon, PLS11-020.
CSRP Biologist Sabrina Davenport holding reproductive feamle pallid sturgeon, PLS11-020.
Ten minutes of larval sampling in the Missouri River on May 24, 2011, resulted in this mass of organic debris and fish eggs.
Ten minutes of larval sampling in the Missouri River on May 24, 2011, resulted in this mass of organic debris and fish eggs.
Salmon and steelhead migrating through Bonnerville Dam.
Salmon and steelhead migrating through Bonnerville Dam.