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Species Directory

Chinook Salmon (Protected)

Overview In the Spotlight Conservation & Management Science Resources

Chinook Salmon (Protected)

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

Illustration of a Chinook salmon.

Protected Status

ESA Endangered
Sacramento River winter-run
ESA Endangered
Upper Columbia River spring-run
ESA Threatened
California coastal
ESA Threatened
Central Valley spring-run
ESA Threatened
Lower Columbia River
ESA Threatened
Puget Sound
ESA Threatened
Snake River fall-run
ESA Threatened
Snake River spring/summer-run
ESA Threatened
Upper Willamette River
ESA Candidate
Upper Klamath-Trinity River
ESA Candidate
Oregon Coast spring-run
ESA Petitioned
Southern Oregon and Northern California Coastal spring-run
ESA Experimental Population
Central Valley spring-run in the San Joaquin River XN
ESA Experimental Population
Upper Columbia River spring-run in the Okanogan River subbasin XN

Quick Facts

Weight
40 pounds, but can be up to 120 pounds
Lifespan
Up to 6 years
Length
3 feet
Threats
Habitat impediments (dams), Habitat degradation, Habitat loss, Commercial and recreational fishing, Climate change
Region
West Coast
See Regulatory Actions
Spring Chinook Salmon.  Photo courtesy Michael Humling, US Fish & Wildlife Service

About The Species

Chinook salmon are anadromous fish, which means they can live in both fresh and saltwater. Chinook salmon have a relatively complex life history that includes spawning and juvenile rearing in rivers followed by migrating to saltwater to feed, grow, and mature before returning to freshwater to spawn. They are vulnerable to many stressors and threats including blocked access to spawning grounds and habitat degradation caused by dams and culverts. Two species of chinook salmon are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, seven species are listed as threatened under the ESA, and one species is a candidate for listing under the ESA.

The Sacramento River Winter-run Chinook is one of NOAA Fisheries' Species in the Spotlight.   

NOAA Fisheries is committed to conserving and protecting chinook salmon. Our scientists and partners use a variety of innovative techniques to study, learn more about, and protect this species.

Protected Status

ESA Endangered

1 evolutionary significant unit

  • Sacramento River winter-run

ESA Endangered

1 evolutionary significant unit

  • Upper Columbia River spring-run

ESA Threatened

1 evolutionary significant unit

  • California coastal

ESA Threatened

1 evolutionary significant unit

  • Central Valley spring-run

ESA Threatened

1 evolutionary significant unit

  • Lower Columbia River

ESA Threatened

1 evolutionary significant unit

  • Puget Sound

ESA Threatened

1 evolutionary significant unit

  • Snake River fall-run

ESA Threatened

1 evolutionary significant unit

  • Snake River spring/summer-run

ESA Threatened

1 evolutionary significant unit

  • Upper Willamette River

ESA Candidate

1 evolutionary significant unit

  • Upper Klamath-Trinity River

ESA Candidate

1 evolutionary significant unit

  • Oregon Coast spring-run

ESA Petitioned

1 evolutionary significant unit

  • Southern Oregon and Northern California Coastal spring-run

ESA Experimental Population

1 evolutionary significant unit

  • Central Valley spring-run in the San Joaquin River XN

ESA Experimental Population

1 evolutionary significant unit

  • Upper Columbia River spring-run in the Okanogan River subbasin XN

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Actinopterygii
Order Salmoniformes
Family Salmonidae
Genus Oncorhynchus
Species O. tshawytscha

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

In the Spotlight

Sacramento River Winter-Run Chinook

The Sacramento River winter-run evolutionarily significant unit (called an "ESU") of Chinook salmon is one of NOAA Fisheries' Species in the Spotlight. This initiative is a concerted, agency-wide effort to spotlight and save the most highly at-risk marine species.

Species in the Spotlight logo.

Chinook salmon are an iconic part of California's natural heritage that must be preserved in order to ensure the economic and recreational wellbeing of future generations. Millions of wild salmon once returned to spawn in the foothills and mountains of California's Central Valley. Streams fed by rainfall, snowmelt, and cold water springs encircled the valley, fostering a diversity and abundance of Chinook salmon. The endangered Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon are particularly important among California's salmon runs because they exhibit a life-history strategy found nowhere else on the West Coast. These Chinook salmon are unique in that they spawn during the summer months when air temperatures usually approach their warmest.

    As a result, winter-run Chinook salmon require stream reaches with cold water sources that will protect their incubating eggs from the warm ambient conditions. Because of this need for cold water during the summer, winter-run Chinook salmon historically occurred only in rivers and creeks fed by cold water springs, such as the Little Sacramento, McCloud, and Pit rivers, and Battle Creek.

    Image
    Juvenile Sacramento River winter-run chinook salmon
    Juvenile Sacramento River winter-run chinook salmon.

    The construction of Shasta and Keswick dams eliminated access to the Little Sacramento, McCloud, and Pit rivers, effectively causing the extirpation of the winter-run Chinook salmon populations that spawned and reared there. The fish from these different populations were forced to mix and spawn as one population downstream of Keswick Dam on the Sacramento River. The construction and operation of hydropower facilities in Battle Creek made the creek inhospitable to winter-run Chinook salmon, and that population also was extirpated.

    The one remaining winter-run Chinook salmon population has persisted in large part due to agency-managed cold water releases from Shasta Reservoir during the summer and artificial propagation from Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery's winter-run Chinook salmon conservation program. Thus, winter-run Chinook salmon are dependent on sufficient cold water storage in Shasta Reservoir, and it has long been recognized that a prolonged drought could have devastating impacts, possibly leading to the species' extinction.

    Image
    map_srwr_chinook_population_wcro.jpeg

    Threats

    Currently, Shasta and Keswick dams block winter-run Chinook salmon from nearly all of their historical spawning habitat. The spawning habitat that is accessible is subject to water temperatures that are too warm to support egg and fry survival, particularly during droughts, some of which have been very severe in recent years.

    In addition to lost and degraded spawning habitat, 98 percent of riparian and floodplain habitat along the Sacramento River is no longer available to support juvenile rearing. Other threats to winter-run Chinook salmon include water withdrawals, predation by non-native species, lack of quality rearing habitat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and commercial and recreational fisheries.

    Species Recovery

    In 2014, NOAA Fisheries adopted a plan to recover Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon, as well as Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon, and Central Valley steelhead.

    State and federal agencies, public organizations, non-profit groups and others in California's Central Valley have formed strong partnerships to save Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon. Efforts to protect winter-run Chinook salmon include restoring habitat, utilizing conservation hatchery programs, closely monitoring the population, and carefully managing scarce cold water. Additional key actions needed to safeguard winter-run Chinook salmon from further declines include:

    • Improving management of Shasta Reservoir's storage in order to provide cold water for spawning adults, eggs, and fry, stable summer flows to avoid dewatering redds, and winter/spring pulse flows to improve smolt survival through the delta.
    • Completing the Battle Creek Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Project and reintroducing winter-run Chinook salmon to the restored habitat.
    • Reintroducing winter-run Chinook salmon into the McCloud River.
      Image
      Juvenile chinook salmon are reintroduced to Battle Creek via a large hose.
      Juvenile winter-run chinook salmon being reintroduced to Battle Creek.
    • Improving Yolo Bypass fish habitat and passage so juveniles can more frequently utilize the bypass for rearing and adults can freely pass from the bypass back to the Sacramento River.
    • Managing winter and early spring delta conditions for improved juvenile survival.
    • Conducting landscape-scale restoration throughout the delta to improve the ecosystem's health and support native species.
    • Expanding the Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery's facilities to support both the captive broodstock and conservation hatchery programs; and
    • Evaluating alternative control rules used to limit incidental take of winter-run Chinook salmon in ocean fisheries.

    In 2016, we completed a Species in the Spotlight 5-Year Plan of Action that builds on the recovery plan and details the focused efforts that are needed over five years. The plan lists key actions NOAA Fisheries and its partners can take from 2016 to 2020 to help recover the species. These actions include:

    • Improve management of Shasta Reservoir cold water storage
    • Restore and provide access to Battle Creek habitat
      Image
      Man holds hand net of small fish and is putting them into a tank.
    • Reintroduce winter-run chinook salmon into the McCloud River
    • Improve Yolo Bypass fish habitat and passage
    • Manage winter and early spring delta conditions to improve juvenile survival

    We are renewing our Priority Actions plans for 2021–2025.

    In our first five years of the Species in the Spotlight, we have:

    • Improved Shasta Reservoir cold water management (good survival from egg to juvenile stages since 2016).
    • Reintroduced 567,000+ winter-run Chinook salmon into Battle Creek.
    • Documented successful spawning and natural production of juveniles in Battle Creek in 2020.
    • Improved fish passage conditions with projects completed at the Knights Landing Outfall Gates, Wallace Weir, and Fremont Weir.
    • Acoustically tagged winter-run Chinook salmon juveniles annually to get real-time information on distribution to inform water management decisions.

    While we still have much to do, these are important steps towards recovery for Sacramento River winter-run chinook salmon.

    2017 Species in the Spotlight Hero Award

    750x500Lewis Bair at Wallace Weir.jpg

    Lewis Bair, General Manager of Reclamation District 108, has been a leader in northern California water and salmon issues for many years. As part of the Sacramento Valley Salmon Recovery Program, Lewis has helped implement numerous actions to benefit Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon. Most notably, Lewis' efforts led to the funding of two major projects. Both projects were included in the 5-year action plan: a fish barrier at the Knights Landing Outfall Gates and the Wallace Weir Fish Rescue Project.

    Learn more about Lewis' work

    2019 Partner in the Spotlight Award

    500x500RandiField.jpg

    Randi Field with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's MidPacific Region is responsible for operation of the largest reservoir in California, the Shasta Reservoir. Shasta Reservoir stores up to 4.5 million acre-feet of water that meets critical water supply needs for farms and cities. It must also maintain conditions for drinking water and fish protection throughout California. Winter-run Chinook salmon eggs and fry are vulnerable to summer heat. They persist because of the careful operations of the limited cold-water pool deep in Shasta Reservoir.

    Learn more about Randi's work

    More Information

    • NOAA Fisheries' Species in the Spotlight Initiative
    • Sacramento River Winter-run Chinook Salmon
    • Sacramento River Winter-Run Chinook Salmon, 5-Year Action Plan
    • Recovery Plan for Sacramento River Winter-run Chinook, Central Valley Spring-ru…
    • VIDEO: California Drought, Part 1 - Protecting Salmon
    • VIDEO: California Drought, Part 2 – A Changing Landscape

    Management Overview

    ESA-Listed Snake River Basin Species

    NOAA Fisheries has adopted three recovery plans for the four ESA-listed Snake River basin species: steelhead, spring/summer Chinook salmon, fall Chinook salmon and sockeye salmon.  The Snake River Sockeye Recovery Plan was adopted in June 2015. The Snake River Fall Chinook Recovery Plan and Snake River Spring/Summer Chinook Salmon and Snake River Basin Steelhead Recovery Plans were adopted in November 2017.

    It is our intent to optimize Recovery Plan implementation through stakeholder involvement to prioritize and implement recovery actions; particularly through NOAA Fisheries’ Snake River Coordination Group.

    Learn more:

    • Snake River Sockeye Salmon Recovery Plan
    • Snake River Fall Chinook Salmon Recovery Plan
    • Snake River Spring/Summer Chinook Salmon and Snake River Basin Steelhead Recovery Plan

    Status Reviews, Recovery Plans, and Maps

    • Chinook Salmon Status Reviews and 5-Year Reviews
    • Chinook Salmon Recovery Plans
    • Chinook Salmon Maps & GIS Data

    Recovery Planning and Implementation

    Species Recovery Contacts

    Coastal California Chinook Salmon ESU
    Erin Seghesio, Recovery Coordinator
    Julie Weeder, Recovery Coordinator 

    Sacramento River Winter-Run ESU
    Brian Ellrott, Recovery Coordinator

    Central Valley Spring Run ESU
    Brian Ellrott, Recovery Coordinator

     


    Regulatory History

    Upper Klamath-Trinity Rivers Chinook Salmon ESU

    In 2017, the Karuk Tribe and Salmon River Restoration Council petitioned NOAA to list the Upper Klamath-Trinity Rivers (UKTR) Chinook salmon ESU or, alternatively, create a new ESU to describe Klamath Spring Chinook salmon and list it as threatened or endangered under the ESA.

    NOAA Fisheries reviewed the petition and determined that a status review of the Chinook salmon in the UKTR Basin should be conducted. 

    Spring-run Chinook Salmon in the Oregon Coast ESU

    On September 24, 2019, the Native Fish Society, Center for Biological Diversity, and Umpqua Watersheds petitioned NOAA to identify Oregon Coast spring-run Chinook salmon as a separate ESU and list the ESU as threatened or endangered under the ESA.

    NOAA Fisheries reviewed the petition and determined that a status review of Oregon Coast spring-run Chinook salmon should be conducted.

     

    Key Actions and Documents

    Actions & Documents Incidental Take

    Proposed Rule to Authorize the Reintroduction of Central Valley Spring-Run Chinook Salmon in the Upper Yuba River

    NOAA Fisheries is issuing a proposed rule to authorize the reintroduction of Central Valley (CV) spring-run Chinook salmon in the upper Yuba River above Englebright Dam. This proposed rule would designate the fish released as nonessential experimental…
    • Proposed Rule (12/11/2020)
    • Draft Environmental Assessment
    • Dear Recipient Letter
    • Questions and Answers
    Proposed Rule
    ,
    West Coast
    Published
    December 11, 2020

    90-Day Finding on a Petition To List Oregon Coast Spring-Run Chinook Salmon as Threatened or Endangered Under the Endangered Species Act

    We, NOAA Fisheries, announce a 90- day finding on a petition to list spring-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) on the Oregon coast as a threatened or endangered Evolutionarily Significant Unit under the Endangered Species Act and to designate…
    • 90-Day Finding (85 FR 20476, April 13, 2020)
    • Petition from the Native Fish Society, Center for Biological Diversity, and Ump…
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    Notice
    ,
    West Coast
    Issued
    April 13, 2020

    Dungeness Hatcheries Plans

    NOAA Fisheries is making available for public review its Proposed Evaluation and Pending Determination (PEPD) analyzing effects of our proposed determination on three hatchery programs currently operating in the Dungeness River basin of Puget Sound…
    • Notice of Availability (85 FR 13632, March 9, 2020)
    • Proposed Evaluation and Pending Determination (PEPD) (pdf)
    Notice
    ,
    West Coast
    Published
    March 9, 2020

    Fisheries Off West Coast States; West Coast Salmon Fisheries; Rebuilding Chinook Salmon Stocks

    NMFS approved rebuilding plans recommended by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) for two overfished stocks: Klamath River fall-run Chinook salmon (KRFC) and Sacramento River fall-run Chinook salmon (SRFC). NMFS determined in June 2018 that…
    • Final Rule (85 FR 75920, November 27, 2020)
    • Proposed Rule (85 FR 6135, February 4, 2020)
    • Final Klamath River Fall Chinook EA/FONSI
    • Final Sacramento River Fall Chinook EA/FONSI
    Final Rule
    ,
    West Coast
    Published
    November 27, 2020
    • Current page 1
    • Page 2
    • Page 3
    • …
    • Next

    Yankee Fork and Panther Creek Spring/summer Chinook Hatchery Plans

    NOAA Fisheries proposes to make two Endangered Species Act (ESA) section 4(d) determinations for hatchery operations in the Yankee Fork and Panther Creek, upper Salmon River tributaries. An environmental assessment and a Proposed Evaluation and Pending…
    • Notice of Availability (85 FR 13876, March 10, 2020)
    • Proposed Evaluation and Pending Determination (PEPD) (pdf)
    • Draft environmental assessment (pdf)
    Notice
    ,
    West Coast
    Published
    03/10/2020

    Calaveras River Habitat Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment

    NOAA Fisheries announces the Final Calaveras River Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and Environmental Assessment (EA) availability and subsequent issuance of the Incidental Take Permit under Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA)…
    • Notice (85 FR 56584, 9/14/2020)
    • Notice (84 FR 51518, 9/30/2019)
    • FONSI (Finding of No Significant Impact)
    • Incidental Take Permit
    • Findings and Recommendations
    • Biological Opinion
    Notice
    ,
    West Coast
    Published
    09/14/2020

    More Information

    • Conserving Salmon and Steelhead on the West Coast
    • For Endangered Salmon in California, a Very Measured Sip of Cold Water
    • Salmon and Steelhead Hatcheries on the West Coast
    • Dams on the West Coast
    • What You Can Do to Help Recover Salmon and Steelhead on the West Coast

    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

    500x333-SalmonResearchInAlaskaImage003-sized.jpg

    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
    Spiny-lumpsuckers_saved_for-the_TSMRI_aquarium_Andy-Gray.jpg
    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
    Trawling_Icy-Strait_SECM2020_JimMurphy.JPG
    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 Ecosystem Indicators of Pacific Salmon Marine Survival in the Northern California Current

    Long-term monitoring of ocean conditions and their effect on juvenile pacific salmon's survival off Oregon and Washington.

    West Coast

    Summary of Ocean Indicators for 2019

    Summary of ocean ecosystem indicators used to characterize juvenile marine salmon survival in the Northern California Current.

    West Coast

    Cumulative Energetic Costs of Southern Resident Killer Whale Responses to Anthropogenic Disturbance

    Killer whales respond to anthropogenic activities in various ways, including changes in acoustic behavior, surface behavior, dive behavior, travel direction, and behavioral activity states.  For example, one study demonstrated that Southern Resident…

    West Coast

    Salmon Life History Research in California’s Central Valley

    A program of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center’s Fisheries Ecology Division. The Salmon Life History Team uses life history theory to understand how traits and phenotypes linked to life history diversity function to support locally adapted and…

    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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