Chum Salmon (Protected)

Protected Status

ESA Threatened

Columbia River ESU

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

Chum salmon. Credit: NOAA Fisheries

About the Species

Chum salmon. Credit: NOAA Fisheries

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 10/14/2022

Featured News

Feature Story

Endangered Salmon Regain Access to Healthy West Coast Habitat through 20 Projects Funded by NOAA Fisheries

West Coast

Snow covered mountains reflect off of placid water containing rocky islands, pine trees, and grassy tussocks

Snow capped mountains reflect off the waters of the Prince William Sound in the Gulf of Alaska. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.

Feature Story

Scientists Release Annual Status Reports for Three Alaska Marine Ecosystems

Alaska

An Oregon Coast coho salmon leaps up Lake Creek Falls on a tributary of the Siuslaw River. A new 5-year review of Oregon Coast coho finds that recovery for the species is "within reach." Credit: Paul Jeffrey

Feature Story

Endangered Species Act Reviews for Some Northwest Salmon and Steelhead Show Promise for Recovery

West Coast

Feature Story

What’s Behind Chinook and Chum Salmon Declines in Alaska?

Alaska

Related Species

Atlantic Salmon (Protected)

Sockeye Salmon (Protected)

Coho Salmon (Protected)

Chinook Salmon (Protected)

Recreational Fishing Regulations

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 10/14/2022

Commercial Fishing Regulations

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 10/14/2022

Subsistence Fishing Regulations

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 10/14/2022

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

NOAA Fisheries is making available for public review its Proposed Evaluation and Pending Determination (PEPD) for a Chinook salmon hatchery program operating in the Dungeness River basin (see Resources, below). An ESA Section 4(d) Limit 6…

Notice of Availability for public review and comment (87 FR 45301, July 28, 202…

Proposed Evaluation and Pending Determination (PEPD) (pdf)

Notice

West Coast

Published

July 28, 2022

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 Endangered Species Act. The listed species comprise 17 evolutionarily significant units of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) and 11 distinct population segments of steelhead (Oncorhynchus…

Notice

West Coast

Issued

November 4, 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)

NOAA Fisheries issued a final rule designating critical habitat for 12 Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs) of West Coast salmon (chum, Oncorhynchus keta; sockeye, O. nerka; chinook, O. tshawytscha) and steelhead (O. mykiss) listed as of the date of…

Final Rule

West Coast

Published

September 2, 2005

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 10/14/2022

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