The Salmon Life Cycle Game follows the adventures of a salmon as it grows and travels from freshwater to the ocean, then back to its' birthplace stream. Each fish encounters dangers growing to adulthood. Players learn how few salmon actually return to their birthplace to spawn and reproduce and some of the many hazards they face as they complete their life cycle.
Up to six individuals may play the game, or two to six teams with two or more players per team.
Players or teams collect and lose "energy tokens," representing how salmon feed, grow, and lose energy in a daily struggle for life.
Players or teams have a reserve of fish lives. During the course of the game if they lose one of their lives they may cash in a fish life to continue play. This reinforces the concept of how many salmon die before they spawn.