What Does “A Draught of Salmon” Mean?
“Draught” is an old English word for a haul or catch, particularly a large one pulled in by net, and it likely comes directly from fishing vocabulary rather than any observation of salmon behavior itself. A “draught of salmon” would have originally described the literal catch of a single netting, not a group swimming freely in the water.
The term has survived into modern collective-noun lists largely as a historical artifact, a reminder that many fish group names started as practical fishing terms before drifting into general use as whimsical descriptors.
Example: “The nets came up heavy with a draught of salmon, more than the crew had seen all season.”
Other Collective Nouns for Salmon
Salmon are also known as a bind, a leap, a run, a school, and a shoal. Explore the full Collective Nouns for Fish list.
A Few Salmon Facts
- Salmon change dramatically in appearance during their spawning migration, developing hooked jaws and vivid coloring.
- Some Atlantic salmon can survive spawning and return to the ocean to breed again, unlike most Pacific species.
- A single salmon run can support entire ecosystems, feeding bears, eagles, and countless other species along the way.
Before the Net Comes Up Empty…
“Draught” might be a fishing term at heart, but it’s a fitting reminder of just how much salmon runs have shaped human life along their rivers.