You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The picture below shows the life cycle of the salmon. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Model Answer
The given diagram illustrates the life cycle of the salmon. It is interesting to see that the salmon lives in both fresh water as well as sea water.
The salmon lays its eggs in the upper river, where the water is slow moving. The spawn rests in the cover of reeds and small stones for 5-6 months, after which the eggs hatch into ‘fry’, which are 3-8 cm in length. These ‘fry’ live in the lower fast flowing river or estuary for the next 4 years approximately. Here the ‘fry’ grow bigger and are now called ‘smolt’, which are 12-15 cm in length. The ‘smolt’ then migrate further downriver into the open sea, which is their home for another 5 years roughly. Eventually, the salmon attains its full size of 70-76 cm in the ocean. After about 5 years, the salmon swims back to its birthplace to lay its eggs and die.
Overall, the salmon passes through three distinct stages – the ‘fry’, the ‘smolt’ and the adult salmon. The first two stages are in fresh water and the last stage is in saline water. No wonder the salmon is called the super fish, as it lives in both – fresh and saline water.