The first stage in the life cycle of a salmon is the egg. The  egg color is pink,red and orange. A salmon egg is about the size of a pea. It is soft and smooth.  Eggs have two black dots which are the eyes. The eggs need to be in cool, clean,  water. They are layed by the female in a redd. Trees along the stream provide shade to keep the water cool, and to help stop erosion. The eggs are hidden in rocky gravel to protect them from predators. There is  a yolk sac attached to each embryo. The yolk sac holds yolk which is the embryo’s food as the embryo grows. Predators are birds, fish, ducks, trout and people. Only 3 out of 3,000 salmon eggs survive to be adult salmon. salmon eggs are fun to study.