Chum Salmon (Protected)

Protected Status

ESA Threatened

Columbia River ESU

ESA Threatened

Hood Canal summer-run ESU

Quick Facts

Weight

8 to 15 pounds on average, but can weight up to 45 pounds

Length

Up to 3.6 feet

Lifespan

About 4 years

Threats

Climate change, Commercial and recreational fishing, Habitat degradation, Habitat impediments (dams), Habitat loss

Region

West Coast

See Regulatory Actions

Chum salmon. Credit: NOAA Fisheries

About the Species

Chum salmon may historically have been the most abundant of all Pacific salmonids. They are an anadromous fish, which means they can live in both fresh and saltwater. Chum 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 evolutionary significant units of chum salmon are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

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

Learn more about chum salmon

Protected Status

ESA Threatened

1 evolutionarily significant unit

Columbia River ESU

ESA Threatened

1 evolutionarily significant unit

Hood Canal summer-run ESU

Scientific Classification

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Osteichthyes
Order	Salmoniformes
Family	Salmonidae
Genus	Oncorhynchus
Species	keta

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 04/13/2022

Featured News

Woman conducting water monitoring samples, turbidity, depth, and temperature on multiple creeks that flow into the Columbia River

Conducting water monitoring samples, turbidity, depth, and temperature on multiple creeks that flow into the Columbia River, for the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership. Credit: Katrina Poremba/NOAA Fisheries

Feature Story

Meet Katrina Poremba, Fish Biologist for Water Operations and Delta Consultations

West Coast

Juvenile Chinook salmon.

Feature Story

NOAA Fisheries Denies Request for Emergency Action on Bering Sea Salmon Bycatch

Alaska

Feature Story

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Public Input on Proposal to Close Commercial Salmon Fishing in the Cook Inlet EEZ

Alaska

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

Related Species

Atlantic Salmon (Protected)

Sockeye Salmon (Protected)

Coho Salmon (Protected)

Chinook Salmon (Protected)

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 04/13/2022

In the Spotlight

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 04/13/2022

Management Overview

We listed the Columbia River and Hood Canal summer-run ESUs as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1999.

Learn more about the regulatory history of chum salmon

Key Actions and Documents

Actions & Documents

Dungeness Hatcheries Plans

Proposed evaluation for Dungeness hatchery plans (Washington state) available for public comment.

Notice of Availability (85 FR 13632, March 9, 2020)

Notice

West Coast

Published

03/09/2020

Initiation of 5-Year Reviews for 28 ESA Listed Species of Salmon and Steelhead

NOAA announced 5-year reviews of 28 species listed under the ESA. Listed species comprise of 17 evolutionarily significant units Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) and 11 distinct population segments of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Notice

West Coast

Issued

11/04/2019

90-Day Finding on Petition to List the Winter-Run Puget Sound Chum Salmon in the Nisqually River System and Chambers Creek as a Threatened or

NOAA Fisheries announces a 90-day finding on a petition to list the winter-run Puget Sound chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) in the Nisqually River system and Chambers Creek as a threatened or endangered evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) under the…

Notice of 90-Day Petition Finding

Notice

National

Published

July 19, 2017

Designation of Critical Habitat for 12 Evolutionarily Significant Units of West Coast Salmon and Steelhead in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho (2005)

Critical Habitat for 12 Evolutionarily Significant Units of Pacific Salmon and Steelhead

Final Rule

West Coast

Published

09/02/2005

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 04/13/2022

Science Overview

Five salmon species on a table with a ruler arranged from smallest to largest (pink, chum, sockeye, chinook, and coho) — Juveniles of the five Pacific salmon species. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Alaska Fisheries Science Center

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

Dive Deeper Into Our Research

Chum Salmon in Alaska

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 chum salmon in Alaska.

Salmon research in Alaska

Critical Habitat - Maps and GIS Data (West Coast Region)

Maps and GIS data for black abalone, bocaccio, Chinook salmon, chum salmon, coho salmon, eulachon, green sturgeon, humpback whale, killer whale, leatherback turtle, sockeye salmon, steelhead trout, Steller sea lion, and yelloweye rockfish.

Application Geodatabase Map Service

December 03, 2021 - Map ,

West Coast