Species: Oncorhynchus keta

Chum Salmon
Species

    Numerous small scales; one dorsal fin plus one adipose fin; no spines in fins; back and tail lack distinct large black spots; first gill arch has 18-28 short, stout, smooth gill rakers; upper side of large individuals is steel-blue, with black speckles; sides silvery; silvery to white belly; tips of caudal, anal, and pectoral fins tinged black in males. Spawning males are dark olive to black on the upper side, with vertical red or dusky bars or blotches on green sides and white-tipped anal and pelvic fins. Spawning females are similar but less distinctly marked. Young have 6-14 narrow, short parr marks on each side. Total length to around 102 cm.

    Science Review:

    Articles:

    The role of estuaries in the ecology of adult Pacific salmon and trout in Puget Sound

    The extensive loss or modification of estuaries throughout Puget Sound creates a significant challenge for adult salmon as they migrate to their natal streams to spawn. A 2024 report by University of Washington scientist Thomas Quinn looks at how different species of salmonids use estuaries to move from marine to freshwater environments. The report was commissioned by the University of Washington Puget Sound Institute with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency's National Estuary Program.

    Report cover with text and image of salmon swimming underwater.
    The role of estuaries in the ecology of juvenile Pacific salmon and trout in Puget Sound

    This overview describes the different ways that juvenile Pacific salmon and trout use estuaries, and why those differences are important for ecosystem recovery efforts. The report was commissioned by the University of Washington Puget Sound Institute with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency's National Estuary Program.

    Aerial view of Puget Sound showing multiple rivers and inlets. The text reads ‘The role of estuaries in the ecology of juvenile Pacific salmon and trout in Puget Sound’ by Thomas P. Quinn from the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington.
    Hood Canal summer chum could be first-ever salmon removed from Endangered Species List

    Summer chum salmon in Hood Canal are making a remarkable comeback. Could it be enough to support their removal from the Endangered Species List?

    A chum salmon in spawning condition swimming in shallow water.
    Opening the door for coho, chum, and pink salmon

    Restoration managers are hopeful that populations of coho, chum and pink salmon will rebound on the Elwha River as the fish take advantage of newly accessible habitat. Part five of our series 'Returning home' examines the importance of genetically distinct salmon runs.

    Underwater view of a large group of silver and grey fish
    Returning home: The Elwha's genetic legacy

    Following dam removal, migratory salmon have been free to swim into the upper Elwha River for the first time in 100 years. Their actual behaviors and reproductive success may well be driven by changes in their genetic makeup. Our seven-part series 'Returning home' examines how the fish are doing and whether the Elwha's genetic legacy remains intact. 

    View of the Elwha River above the site of the former Glines Canyon Dam in 2021. Photo: Sylvia Kantor
    New Seattle seawall improves migratory pathway for young salmon

    Design innovations at the new seawall along Seattle's waterfront could inspire improvements for other shoreline structures around Puget Sound. They may even encourage broader regulatory changes that enhance habitat for migrating salmon and other species.

     

    The new Seattle seawall below the sidewalk at low tide. Photo: Jason Toft/UW
    State of the salmon in watersheds 2016

    A biennial report produced by the Governor's Salmon Recovery Office provides stories and data about salmon, habitat, and salmon recovery in Washington, including Puget Sound.

    Salmon smolts. Photo courtesy of Governor's Salmon Recovery Office
    Shoreline armoring's effect on the food web

    The removal of shoreline armoring in Puget Sound has become a priority for state and federal agencies, but until recently there have been relatively few scientific studies of armoring's local impact. New research looks at the pronounced biological and ecological effects of these common shoreline structures, especially for tiny beach-dwelling creatures that make up the base of the food web.

    Storm surges against the bulkheads protecting beach houses at Mutiny Bay, WA. Photo: Scott Smithson (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) https://www.flickr.com/photos/dtwpuck/15725058917
    2014 state of salmon in watersheds executive summary

    This report documents how Washingtonians have responded to the challenges of protecting and restoring salmon and steelhead to healthy status. It also serves as a tool to summarize achievements, track salmon recovery progress through common indicators, and identify data gaps that need to be filled.

    2014 state of salmon in watersheds report cover
    2012 state of salmon in watersheds executive summary

    Salmon recovery demands both dedication among people with different interests, and sustained resources. This biennial report tells the story of the progress made to date and the challenges ahead.

    2012 State of Salmon in Watersheds Executive Summary report cover
    Foraging differences between male and female harbor seals present challenges for fisheries management

    A 2015 article published in the Marine Ecology Progress Series identifies intraspecific differences in diet between harbor seals in the Salish Sea, suggesting implications for marine reserve management. 

    Harbor seal photographed by Andreas Trepte. Available through a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 2.5 license.
    Brighter future for salmon at downtown seawall

    The decaying seawall along Seattle’s waterfront is providing scientists with an opportunity to improve long-lost habitat for migrating salmon. It could also show the way for habitat enhancements to crumbling infrastructure worldwide. One University of Washington researcher describes the project.

    Seattle's central waterfront at sunset. Photo: Michael Matti (CC BY-NC 2.0) https://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelmattiphotography/9090323308/
    Lead Entities for salmon recovery in Puget Sound

    Lead Entities are local organizations in Puget Sound that develop salmon recovery strategies and priorities for the region on a watershed-based scale.

    Chinook salmon. Image courtesy of NOAA.
    Juvenile Pacific Salmon in Puget Sound

    This technical report produced for the Puget Sound Nearshore Partnership on Valued Ecosystem Components (VEC) summarizes existing knowledge of salmon use of nearshore habitats in order to help protect and restore these habitats.

    School of juvenile chinook/king salmon. Photo: USFWS/Togiak National Wildlife Refuge (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfws_alaska/6479109041/
    Methods and Quality of VSP Monitoring Of ESA Listed Puget Sound Salmon and Steelhead: With Identified Critical Gaps 2012
    Download a November 2012 assessment of monitoring of viable salmonid population (VSP) criteria. 
    Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Image courtesty U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
    Salmonids in Puget Sound

    Fish in the family Salmonidae (salmon, trout, and charr) play potentially integral roles in the upland freshwater, nearshore and pelagic marine ecosystems and food webs of Puget Sound.

    Chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta). Image courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
    Kingdom
    Animalia
    Phylum
    Craniata
    Class

    Actinopterygii

    Order

    Salmoniformes

    Family

    Salmonidae

    Genus

    Oncorhynchus

    Classification
    Other Global Common Names
    saumon kéta
    Informal Taxonomy
    <p>Animals, Vertebrates - Fishes - Bony Fishes - Salmon and Trouts</p>
    Formal Taxonomy
    Animalia - Craniata - Actinopterygii - Salmoniformes - Salmonidae - Oncorhynchus - Phylogenetic analysis based on mtDNA data indicates a sister relationship between pink salmon and chum salmon (Domanico and Phillips 1995).

    Numerous small scales; one dorsal fin plus one adipose fin; no spines in fins; back and tail lack distinct large black spots; first gill arch has 18-28 short, stout, smooth gill rakers; upper side of large individuals is steel-blue, with black speckles; sides silvery; silvery to white belly; tips of caudal, anal, and pectoral fins tinged black in males. Spawning males are dark olive to black on the upper side, with vertical red or dusky bars or blotches on green sides and white-tipped anal and pelvic fins. Spawning females are similar but less distinctly marked. Young have 6-14 narrow, short parr marks on each side. Total length to around 102 cm.

    Habitat Type Description
    Freshwater
    Migration
    <p>false - true - true - Anadromous. Adults return to spawn in areas where they were hatched. Individuals may move up to 2,000 km upstream to spawn in rivers lacking major barriers (Lee et al. 1980).</p>
    Non-migrant
    false
    Locally Migrant
    true
    Food Comments
    In fresh water juveniles feed on Diptera larvae, diatoms, and cyclops; in salt water they feed on a variety of zoo- plankton. Adults feeds on: polychaetes, pteropods, squid, crustacean larvae, copepods, amphipods, fish (Wydoski and Whitney 1979).
    Reproduction Comments
    In many areas, chum salmon enter streams in distinct seasonal runs (e.g., summer and fall). In Washington, spawning usually occurs in fall, October-December. In California, spawning has been observed from early August to early February. Spawning adults generally are 2-5 years old, sometimes up to seven years old. Adults die within about a week after spawning. Depending on water temperature, eggs hatch in several months, and the alevins complete yolk absorption within the gravel environment. Fry migrate directly to the sea soon after emergence, with a peak in April-May in Washington, spending relatively little time in fresh water.<br><br>
    Ecology Comments
    Transplanting attempts have been unsuccessful outside natural range.
    Length
    100
    NatureServe Global Status Rank
    G5
    Global Status Last Reviewed
    1996-09-12
    Global Status Last Changed
    1996-09-12
    Other Status

    <p>PS - ></p>

    Conservation Status Map
    <img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.BC=S5&CA.NT=SU&CA.ON=SE&CA.YT=S4&US.AK=S5&US.CA=S1&US.NV=SE&US.OR=S3&US.WA=S3" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
    Global Range
    This species has the widest natural range of all the Pacific salmon species. In Asia, the range extends from Korea north to the Arctic Ocean and west along the coast of northern Asia to the Lena River/Laptev Sea. In North America, chum salmon occurred historically from the Sacramento River drainage, California (rarely the San Lorenzo River, southern California), to northwestern Alaska, and east along the arctic coast to the Anderson and Mackenzie rivers, Northwest Territories (Salo 1991). The species is now rare or locally extirpated from southern Oregon southward. Immatures are widely distributed over the North Pacific Ocean. See Frissell (1993) for a map indicating present and former distribution in the Pacific Northwest and California.
    ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103184