The ferritin heavy (H) and middle (M) subunit cDNAs were isolated from the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) liver. Full-length clones encoding the ferritin M subunit of 176 residues were obtained by screening of a liver cDNA library. The evolutionary conserved iron-responsive element (IRE) was identified in the upstream untranslated region. Ferritin H cDNA was cloned by running reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on salmon liver mRNA. The salmon ferritin H subunit of 177 residues showed 67% sequence identity with the M subunit. Northern blot analysis revealed ferritin H mRNA in the liver, gonads, head kidney, heart, and spleen, whereas M subunit mRNA was found almost exclusively in the gonads. Polyclonal antibodies against both salmon ferritin H and M were raised in rabbits.