Smolts are transferred to seawater in large tanks on trucks
or in boats known as well boats. During the journey the salinity of their water is gradually increased to approach that of seawater.
Adapting to seawater, the smolts become young adult salmon. Their colour changes as they become dark on the back, silvery on the sides and pale underneath. The colorations of the parr and smolts provide camouflage for the fish in the wild, in a river then at sea.
The smolts are kept in net pens
in the sea for on-growing and maturation into adult salmon. After just over a year in the sea the fish will have reached market weight of around 4.5 to 5.5 kg.