Skip to main content

Story: Trout and salmon

Salmon ova

Image
Salmon ova

An adult female salmon can produce up to 5,000 eggs, which are deposited in river gravels. They take seven to eight weeks to develop into this form. The eyes of the developing fish are just visible – this indicates that they are close to hatching.

Using this item

Private collection

by Ross Millichamp

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, Trout and salmon – Chinook salmon, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/20464/salmon-ova (accessed 8 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 1 March 2009.