Dry-Cure Theory!! (Pre-Splatoon Raiders Speculation)
NEW RAIDERS THEORY!!! (Or not, I haven't seen anyone say this, but I could be wrong.)
Throughout the trailers, I realized that the Cohocks were progressively getting more covered in what I can assume is salt, and I guess this might be an elite thing. But the idea of using salt is really cool, in my opinion, because it can go two ways.
The first is that, in the Salmonids' way of life, dying in battle and being eaten by either the enemy or your own kin is the most honorable way to go, as sort of a cycle of life thing. They could be salting themselves more, for a difficult opponent may be a tastier feast.
The second one that I realized might be them reflecting real-life Salmon, as when they go to the Spawning Grounds, they begin to decompose, becoming, quite literally, zombies that are dead but continue to keep swimming even after “death.” And what's one way to prevent meat from spoiling? Dry-curing using salt and other spices to keep it as fresh as possible. I think they might be dry-curing themselves to prevent rotting as they age!
So my current theory is that, since these Salmonids are in their spawning phase, they might need to practice body care, as they are at risk of rotting while still alive (as you can see from the color draining from them). Which leads them to dry-curing, which not only keeps them fresh but, considering their way of life, also makes their own deaths more of a blessing, as you quite literally get a salted salmon every time a family member dies.
But idk, I’m just spitballing here