Chinook Salmon

There are numerous stocks of Chinook salmon.

• 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).
  • According to the 2022 stock assessment, the Eastern North Pacific Far North Migrating stock is not overfished and not subject to overfishing.  Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART.
• 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 2025, two populations of Chinook salmon are listed as endangered, and seven are listed as threatened under the ESA.
  • According to the 2024 stock assessment, the Klamath River Fall stock is overfished, but not subject to overfishing. According to the 2023 stock assessment, the Queets Spring/Summer stock is overfished, but the overfishing status is unknown. The remaining stocks are not overfished and not subject to overfishing.  Summary 2024 stock assessment information for all West Coast Chinook salmon stocks can be found on Stock SMART.
• 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.

• 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.
  • A rebuilding plan to rebuild the Klamath River Fall Chinook stock to the target population level is in place with a target date of 2021.
• 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.

• Commercial fishery:
  • In 2023, U.S. commercial landings of Chinook salmon totaled 7.6 million pounds and were valued at $31 million, according to the NOAA Fisheries commercial fishing landings database.
  • Most of the Chinook in the U.S. market comes from U.S. and Canadian fisheries.
• Gear types, habitat impacts, and bycatch:
  • Chinook salmon are harvested using a variety of gear types.
  • Troll vessels catch salmon by "trolling" their lines with bait or lures through groups of feeding fish.
  • To retrieve hooked fish, the lines are wound on spools by hand or hydraulically, and the fish are pulled aboard when alongside the vessel.
  • The troll fishery produces low-volume, high-quality product.
  • Chinook are also harvested in commercial seine and gillnet fisheries (described here), both in fisheries targeting stocks of Chinook and as bycatch in fisheries targeting other species of salmon.
  • Fishing gear used to catch Chinook salmon rarely contacts the ocean floor and has little impact on habitat.
  • Bycatch is low and usually consists of other salmon species.
• Recreational fishery:
  • Chinook salmon are a favorite catch of recreational fishermen.
  • Recreational fishermen use a variety of fishing gear to harvest Chinook salmon.
  • To ensure recreational fisheries are sustainable, West Coast anglers are only allowed to keep a certain number of salmon per fishing trip.
  • In Alaska, regulations vary by area and individual fisheries.
  • Recreational fisheries in high-use areas (Cook Inlet, Southeast Alaska, Copper River) are regulated through management plans that allocate fish between competing commercial and recreational fishermen.
• Subsistence fishery:
  • Salmon is an important source of spiritual and physical sustenance for Western Indian tribes and Alaska natives, and salmon are culturally important to many other residents of these areas.
  • Subsistence fishermen use a variety of fishing gear to harvest Chinook salmon.