Fishmonger Cutting Salmon. Stock Photo

Salmo is a genus of fish in the salmon family Salmonidae that includes the familiar species Salmo salar and Salmo trutta. The natural distribution of the genus is chiefly European. Only the range of the Atlantic salmon extends to northern North America. The salmon and trout of the Pacific basin belong to another genus, Oncorhynchus. The generic name Salmo derives from the Latin salmō (salmon). The number of distinct species and subspecies in Salmo is a debated issue. Atlantic salmon and brown trout are widespread species, while most of the other taxa are narrowly distributed forms endemic to single watersheds.