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

Lifespan

About 4 years

Length

Up to 3.6 feet

Threats

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

Location

Alaska, West Coast

See Regulatory Actions

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

2 evolutionarily significant units

Columbia River ESU
Hood Canal summer-run ESU

Scientific Classification

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

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 Incidental Take

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

NOAA announced5-year reviews of 28 species listed under the Endangered Species Act.The listed species comprise 17 evolutionarily significant unitsof Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) and 11 distinct population segmentsof steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

84FR53117 published October 4, 2019

Notice

West Coast

Comments Close

03/27/2020

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

Comments Close

October 10, 2017

Science

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

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 chum salmon in Alaska.

Learn More

Salmon and Steelhead Ranges

Spatial data (zipped geodatabase) to be downloaded and used in a geographic information system (GIS). Metadata is included within the gdb. The zip file also contains a schema diagram, in pdf format, that documents the gdb structure, fields, and values.

August 22, 2019 - Database ,

West Coast

Recovery Action Database

The Recovery Action Database tracks the implementation of recovery actions from Endangered Species Act recovery plans.

March 05, 2019 - Database ,

National

Connecting Independent Research Surveys of Bering Sea Salmon Populations to Chum Salmon Bycatch in Bering Sea Groundfish Fisheries

Although chum salmon bycatch has historically remained at low levels relative to their biomass in the Bering Sea, recent increases in chum salmon bycatch have generated concern over bycatch impacts on Alaskan salmon stocks and the effectiveness of

September 18, 2018 - Survey ,

Alaska

Documents

Document

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

Hatchery and Genetics Management Plans (HGMPs)

West Coast

Document

Genetic Stock Composition Analysis of Chum Salmon from the Prohibited Species Catch of the 2016 Bering Sea Walleye Pollock Trawl Fishery and Gulf of Alaska Groundfish Fisheries

A genetic analysis of the prohibited species catch (PSC) of chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta)…

Alaska

Document

2016 5-Year Review : Summary & Evaluation of Puget Sound Chinook Salmon, Hood Canal Summer-Run Chum Salmon, and Puget Sound Steelhead

The Endangered Species Act requires periodic reviews of species that are listed as threatened or…

West Coast

Document

2016 Genetic Stock Composition Analysis of Chum Salmon From the Prohibited Species Catch of the Bering Sea Walleye Pollock Trawl Fishery and Gulf of Alaska Groundfish Fisheries

Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) are prohibited species in the federally managed Bering Sea and…

Alaska

Data & Maps

Data

Salmon and Steelhead Ranges

Spatial data (zipped geodatabase) to be downloaded and used in a geographic information system (GIS…

West Coast

Data

Recovery Action Database

The Recovery Action Database tracks the implementation of recovery actions from Endangered Species…

National

Data

Connecting Independent Research Surveys of Bering Sea Salmon Populations to Chum Salmon Bycatch in Bering Sea Groundfish Fisheries

Although chum salmon bycatch has historically remained at low levels relative to their biomass in…

Alaska

Map

Chum Salmon Critical Habitat Map - Columbia River ESU, Hood Canal Summer-Run ESU

West Coast

Research

Generic Page

Alaska Ecosystem Monitoring and Assessment

Eastern Bering Sea sample stations. Our goal is to improve and reduce uncertainty in stock assessment models of commercially important fish species by collecting, analyzing and incorporating observations of fish and oceanography

Alaska

Generic Page

Northeastern Bering Sea Ecosystem Assessment

Pelagic trawl (surface trawl and mid water acoustics) and oceanographic data collected during the Northern Bering Sea survey are used to improve understanding of the pelagic ecosystem and assist efforts aimed at reducing uncertainty in harvest management

Alaska

Chum Salmon - Protected