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Species Directory

Chinook Salmon

Overview Science Resources

Chinook Salmon

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

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Also Known As
King salmon, Spring salmon, Tyee, Winter, Quinnat, Blackmouth

Quick Facts

Region
Alaska, West Coast
Fish Watch. U.S. Seafood Facts Logo
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About The Species

U.S. wild-caught Chinook salmon is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.

NOAA Fisheries works in cooperation with federal, state, tribal, and Canadian officials to manage these commercial, recreational, and tribal harvest of salmon and steelhead in ocean and inland waters of the West Coast and Alaska. To learn more about management of these fisheries, visit our West Coast and Alaska fisheries management pages.

However, some Chinook salmon are also protected under the Endangered Species Act. Learn more about protected Chinook salmon.

Population Status Icon

Population Level

There are numerous stocks of Chinook salmon. Some are above target population levels, others below. Some are wild and some are hatchery-raised, but all are managed using strict regulations to balance the needs of people and other marine life.

Fishing Status Icon

Fishing Status

Managers set fishing rates to avoid jeopardizing the survival and recovery of Chinook salmon stocks that are below their target levels.

Habitat Impacts Icon

Habitat Impacts

Fishing gear used to catch Chinook salmon rarely contacts the ocean floor and has little impact on habitat. In the U.S., the key habitat issue for salmon recovery is restoring quality salmon habitat that once supported robust and thriving salmon runs.

Bycatch Icon

Bycatch

Regulations are in place to minimize bycatch.

Status

  • Alaska:
    • In Alaska, the status of Chinook salmon stocks varies.
    • Some stocks are in decline, while others are steady or increasing.
    • None are listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
    • Review of Salmon Escapement Goals in Southeast Alaska, 2019.
  • West Coast:
    • The status of Chinook stocks in California and the Pacific Northwest varies.
    • Some stocks are in decline, while others are steady or increasing.
    • As of 2019, two populations of Chinook salmon are listed as endangered, and seven are listed as threatened under the ESA.
    • Review of 2019 Ocean Salmon Fisheries.
  • Populations are affected by:
    • Changes in ocean and climatic conditions.
    • Habitat loss from dam construction and urban development.
    • Degraded water quality from agricultural and logging practices.
  • Population conservation efforts include:
    • Captive-rearing in hatcheries.
    • Removal and modification of dams that obstruct salmon migration.
    • Restoration of degraded habitat.
    • Acquisition of key habitat.
    • Improvements to water quality and instream flow.
  • The Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund supports the restoration of salmon species.

Appearance

  • When they’re in the ocean, Chinook salmon are blue-green on the back and top of the head with silvery sides and white bellies.
  • They have black spots on the upper half of the body and on both lobes of the tail fin.
  • Chinook salmon also have a black pigment along the gum line, thus the nickname "blackmouth."
  • In fresh water, when they are about to spawn, Chinook change to olive brown, red, or purplish. This color change is particularly evident in males.
  • Spawning adult males can be distinguished by their hooked upper jaw.
  • Females can be distinguished by a torpedo-shaped body, robust mid-section, and blunt nose.
  • Juveniles in fresh water (fry) have well-developed parr marks on their sides (the pattern of vertical bars and spots useful for camouflage).
  • Before juveniles migrate to the sea, they lose their parr marks and gain the dark back and light belly characteristic of fish living in open water.

Biology

  • Chinook salmon are anadromous—they hatch in freshwater streams and rivers then migrate out to the saltwater environment of the ocean to feed and grow.
  • Chinook salmon are the largest of the Pacific salmon, hence the name “king salmon.”
  • They can grow as long as 4.9 feet and up to 129 pounds, but typical length and weight of mature fish are about 3 feet and 30 pounds.
  • They spend a few years feeding in the ocean, then return to their natal streams or rivers to spawn, generally in summer or early fall.
  • Chinook salmon sexually mature between the ages of 2 and 7 but are typically 3 or 4 years old when they return to spawn.
  • Chinook dig out gravel nests (redds) on stream bottoms where they lay their eggs.
  • All Chinook salmon die after spawning.
  • Young Chinook salmon feed on terrestrial and aquatic insects, amphipods, and other crustaceans.
  • Older Chinook primarily feed on other fish.
  • Fish (such as whiting and mackerel) and birds eat juvenile Chinook salmon.
  • Marine mammals, such as orcas and sea lions, and sharks eat adult salmon.
  • Salmon are also primary prey for Southern Resident killer whales, an endangered species.
  • After salmon spawn and die, salmon carcasses are a valuable source of energy and nutrients to the river ecosystem. Carcasses have been shown to improve newly hatched salmon growth and survival by contributing nitrogen and phosphorous compounds to streams.

Where They Live

  • In North America, Chinook salmon range from the Monterey Bay area of California to the Chukchi Sea area of Alaska. 

Management

  • NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Fishery Management Council manage Chinook salmon on the West Coast.
  • Managed under the Pacific Coast Salmon Plan:
    • Every year, the council reviews reports of the previous fishing season and current estimates of salmon abundance. Using this information, they make recommendations for management of the upcoming fishing season.
    • Their general goal is to allow fishermen to harvest the maximum amount of salmon that will support the fishery while preventing overharvest of the resource and ensuring that salmon populations with low abundance can rebuild.
    • Specific management measures vary year to year depending on current salmon abundance, and include size limits, season length, quotas, and gear restrictions.
    • Management of Chinook salmon must also comply with laws such as the Endangered Species Act. One of the threats to recovery of endangered Southern Resident killer whales on the West Coast is the availability of their preferred prey, Chinook salmon. Every year the fishery management council considers the prey needs of this endangered population before setting commercial fishing catch limits for Chinook. Read more
    • Final recommendations are implemented by NOAA Fisheries. Check here for the current season’s management. State and tribal managers use council management recommendations to shape their policies for inland fisheries, to ensure that conservation objectives are met.
  • NOAA Fisheries and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council manage Chinook salmon in Alaska. 
  • Managed under the Fishery Management Plan for Salmon Fisheries in the EEZ off the Coast of Alaska:
    • All management of the salmon fisheries in federal waters is delegated to the State of Alaska, which is also responsible for managing the commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries for salmon in state waters. This ensures that management is consistent throughout salmon’s range.
      • Managers regulate the fishery based on escapement goals to ensure harvests are sustainable. They want enough salmon to be able to escape the fishery and return to fresh water to spawn and replenish the population.
      • Salmon fishery management largely relies on in-season assessment of how many salmon return to fresh water to spawn.
      • Managers set harvest levels based on these returns. When abundance is high and the number of fish returning is much higher than that needed to meet escapement goals, harvest levels are set higher.
      • In years of low abundance, harvest levels are lowered.
    • During the fishing season, scientists monitor catch and escapement, comparing current returns with those from previous years, to keep an eye on abundance and actively manage the fishery.
  • Off the West Coast and in Alaska, the Pacific Salmon Treaty and the Pacific Salmon Commission help coordinate management, research, and enhancement of shared U.S. and international salmon stocks, including Chinook.

Featured News

Photo of workers on a boat deck with a surface trawl net.
Feature Story

Distribution and Abundance of Forage Fish in Arctic and Sub-Arctic Waters Affected by Warming Ocean Conditions

Alaska
Panoramic view of tidal estuary Nearshore waters in the tidal estuary where the Nisqually River enters Puget Sound.
Feature Story

Protecting the Critical Value of Nearshore Habitat

West Coast
Klamath River from the air The Klamath River reaches the ocean in Northern California. It was once the third-largest salmon river on the West Coast. Photo by Thomas Dunklin.
Feature Story

Small Genetic Difference Determines Chinook Salmon Migration Timing, New Study Shows

West Coast
Chinook Fry Offspring of endangered female winter-run Sacramento River Chinook salmon that had been injected with thiamine on their return to the Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery. Biologists brought them to UC Davis as embryos and then examined them to tell if the fish that received supplemental thiamine injections produced healthier offspring. Photo by Heather Bell/UC Davis.
Feature Story

Researchers Probe Deaths of Central Valley Chinook, with Possible Ties to Ocean Changes

West Coast
View More News

Recreational Fishing Regulations

Commercial Fishing Regulations

Subsistence Fishing Regulations

Science Overview

NOAA Fisheries conducts various research activities on the biology, behavior, and ecology of chinook salmon. The results of this research are used to inform management decisions for this species. 

Dive Deeper Into Our Research

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Chinook Salmon in Alaska

Juveniles of the five Pacific salmon species.

Our work to forecast salmon harvests, assess the impact of commercial fisheries on salmon, and evaluate how salmon populations respond to environmental changes enable us to estimate abundance and trends for chinook salmon in Alaska. 

Learn More

Research & Data

Salmon Habitat Status and Trend Monitoring Program Data

Habitat data sets for habitat status and trend monitoring in Puget Sound…
June 18, 2020 - Map ,
West Coast

Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund Database

The Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) database serves as a…
February 11, 2020 - Database ,
Alaska
West Coast

Recovery Action Database

Tracks the implementation of recovery actions from Endangered Species Act…
February 10, 2020 - Database ,
National

Essential Fish Habitat - Groundfish and Salmon

Maps and GIS data
February 06, 2020 - Map ,
West Coast
View More

Recent Science Blogs

Survey

Annual Study of Salmon in Southeast Alaska - Post 6

Survey
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Survey

Annual Study of Salmon in Southeast Alaska - Post 5

Survey
Andy-Gray_Luck-Erickson_Jim-Murphy_backdeck.JPG
Survey

Annual Study of Salmon in Southeast Alaska - Post 4

Survey
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View More

Documents

Document

Biological Opinion Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Project

Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 7(a)(2) Biological Opinion Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)…

Alaska
Document

Annual Report for the Alaska Groundfish Fisheries Chinook Salmon Incidental Catch and ESA Consultation

Annual and updated reports on salmon incidental catch in the Alaska groundfish fisheries. Includes…

Alaska
Document

Stillaguamish Hatcheries Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) and Proposed Evaluation and Pending Determination (PEPD)

Hatchery and Genetics Management Plans (HGMPs)

West Coast
Document

Annual Report for the Alaska Groundfish Fisheries Chinook Salmon Coded Wire Tag and Recovery Data for ESA Consultations

Alaska Region's data on salmon incidental catch in the Alaska groundfish fisheries, including stock…

Alaska
More Documents

Data & Maps

Map

Salmon Habitat Status and Trend Monitoring Program Data

West Coast
Data

Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund Database

The Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) database serves as a project and performance…

Alaska
West Coast
Data

Recovery Action Database

Tracks the implementation of recovery actions from Endangered Species Act (ESA) recovery plans.

National
Map

Essential Fish Habitat - Groundfish and Salmon

West Coast
More Data and Maps

Research

Ocean Indicator Ancillary Data and Future Research Directions

Northwest Fisheries Science Center scientists collect and analyze various data to improve the accuracy of Pacific salmon forecasts.

West Coast

Local Physical Indicators

Regional physical conditions experienced by juvenile salmon entering the northern California Current.

West Coast

Local Biological Indicators

Biological conditions experienced by juvenile salmon entering the northern California Current.

West Coast

Climate and Atmospheric Indicators

Atmospheric conditions experienced by juvenile salmon entering the northern California Current.

West Coast
More Research

Outreach & Education

Educational Materials

Protectores de Salmónidos (en español)

A través de los cómics, los juegos de palabras, y los laberintos, los niños aprenden sobre la…

West Coast
Educational Materials

¡Cuento con usted! edición salmón (en español)

Aprenda qué es lo que el salmón necesita para vivir y cómo puede hacer la diferencia.

West Coast
Educational Materials

I'm Counting on You! Salmon Brochure About Issues Affecting Salmon and How You Can Help

Learn about the threats facing salmon and what you can do to help.

West Coast
Educational Materials

Good Salmon Habitat, Bad Salmon Habitat Card Game

What habitat features give salmon and steelhead a chance to thrive, and what conditions are…

West Coast
More Outreach and Education Materials
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