All in the Family
A salmon goes through seven distinct stages in its life cycle
![Close-up of several alevins. They have large eyes and bright-orange egg sacs.](/sites/default/files/styles/sierra_full_page_width/public/2023-08/SMFA23-Big-Picture-Salmon-Eggs-WB.jpg.webp?itok=gb98U2-K)
Photo by Amy Gulick
A salmon goes through seven distinct stages in its life cycle. In the second stage, pictured here, it's called an alevin. After hatching from its egg, the still-developing alevin retains the yolk sac, which serves as a nutrient source as the protofish continues to grow eyes, teeth, and digestive and respiratory systems. In the wild, alevins stay buried in a gravel nest in their birth stream. Photographer Amy Gulick captured this unique stage of a salmon's life at a hatchery.