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

Lifespan

About 4 years

Length

Up to 3.6 feet

Threats

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

Region

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

1 evolutionarily significant unit

Columbia River ESU

ESA Threatened

1 evolutionarily significant unit

Hood Canal summer-run ESU

Appearance

Behavior and Diet

Where They Live

Lifespan & Reproduction

Threats

Scientific Classification

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

What We Do

Conservation & Management

Science

In the Spotlight

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) 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

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 …

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

Science Overview

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