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.
American and European eels are famous catadromous fish that make epic journeys thousands of miles to the Sargasso Sea to spawn, then their larvae drift back to coastal waters! This ancient migration pattern has puzzled scientists for centuries and shows how ocean currents connect distant ecosystems.
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