Catadromous

/kəˈtædrəməs/ adjective

Describing fish that migrate from freshwater to saltwater to spawn, opposite of anadromous fish. These fish spend most of their adult lives in rivers and lakes but return to the ocean to reproduce.

From Greek 'kata' meaning 'down' and 'dromos' meaning 'running' or 'course', literally meaning 'running downward' toward the sea. The term was coined by ichthyologists in the early 20th century to classify fish migration patterns.

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