In this study， we evaluated the applicability of DNA barcode technology in the authentication of salmon and explored the feasibility of mineral element fingerprint for traceability of imported salmon. The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 （COI） gene sequences of 29 species belonging to 8 genera in Salmonidae which amplified using a polymerase chain reaction technique or screened from GenBank were used for genetic distance and phylogenetic analysis. The results showed that the average interspecific genetic distance is 0.150， which is 150 times higher than the average intraspecific genetic distance （0.001）. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the COI haplotypes of each species were clustered in a respective branch in the neighbor-joining tree with high support rates. The above results highlighted that the DNA barcode technology based on COI gene can effectively apply in the authentication of salmon. In addition， the mineral element fingerprint data of salmon from Norway and Chile were analyzed by the methods of variance comparison， principal component analysis and discriminant analysis. As a result， 10 mineral elements including Fe， Zn， Al， Ni， As， Cr， V， Se， Ca and Na were selected to characterize the geographic origin of salmon. The overall and cross-validation discrimination rates derived from the discriminant model that established by these 10 elements were both 98.8%. Hence， the mineral element fingerprint combined with appropriate stoichiometric method was effective in geographical tracing of Norwegian and Chilean salmon. Overall， our results provide technical references for the establishment and improvement of the quality and safety identification system of imported aquatic products in China.