Chum Salmon (Protected)
Oncorhynchus keta
![Side-profile illustration of a big chum salmon fish with dark metallic bluish-green coloring and black speckles on its upper half and lighter, paler belly. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Jack Hornady](/s3/styles/original/s3/2022-10/640x427-Salmon-Chum-NOAAFisheries.png?itok=v8Bn1z3x)
Protection Status
Hood Canal summer-run ESU
Quick Facts
![Close-up of two chum salmon at the bottom of murky water. Can see rocks below the fish.](/s3/styles/full_width/s3/dam-migration/900x600-chum-salmon-noaa.jpg?itok=9yrOyj6Y)
Chum salmon. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
About the Species
![Close-up of two chum salmon at the bottom of murky water. Can see rocks below the fish.](/s3/styles/full_width/s3/dam-migration/900x600-chum-salmon-noaa.jpg?itok=9yrOyj6Y)
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.
Scientific Classification
Kingdom | Animalia | Phylum | Chordata | Class | Osteichthyes | Order | Salmoniformes | Family | Salmonidae | Genus | Oncorhynchus | Species | keta |
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Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 12/22/2023
Featured News
![View of harbor with blue water and mountains in the distance](/s3/styles/inline_field_thumbnail/s3/2024-03/750x500-amalga-harbor-barry-afsc.jpg?h=9e499333&itok=F3VsHtQw)
![food web for Bering Sea fish and other species, graphic showing connections between species](/s3/styles/inline_field_thumbnail/s3/2024-02/foodweb-Thorson-AFSC.png?h=afcd7189&itok=7D5E0sIT)
![Topographic map of the Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea.](/s3/styles/inline_field_thumbnail/s3/2023-12/3d-render-Alaska.jpg?h=bb7d07fa&itok=cuTf-JGp)
![Fish swimming up river](/s3/styles/inline_field_thumbnail/s3/2023-11/chum-river-afsc.png?h=9e499333&itok=yyMaeHSJ)
Management Overview
We listed the Columbia River and Hood Canal summer-run ESUs as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1999.
Key Actions and Documents
Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 12/22/2023
Science Overview
![Five salmon species on a table with a ruler arranged from smallest to largest (pink, chum, sockeye, chinook, and coho)](/s3/styles/media_375_x_250/s3/dam-migration-miss/md_oy8pbqja0NI6_0.jpg?itok=pg-d_CJ-)
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.
Chum Salmon Research in the Pacific Northwest
Our research on Pacific salmon covers several topics including bycatch, salmon harvest forecasts, ecotoxicology, genetics, marine survival and responses to climate change.
Recent Science Blogs
Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 12/22/2023
Documents
Alaska Salmon Task Force Meeting Minutes January 25, 2024
Alaska Salmon Task Force Meeting Minutes for January 25, 2024.
Alaska Salmon Task Force Meeting Minutes November 14, 2023
Alaska Salmon Task Force Meeting Minutes for November 14, 2023.
Alaska Salmon Task Force Meeting Minutes September 19, 2023
Alaska Salmon Task Force Meeting Minutes for September 19, 2023.
Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Meeting Agenda—September 19, 2023
Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Meeting Agenda for September 19, 2023
Data & Maps
2021 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
Alaska Fisheries Science Center Salmon Bycatch Report
2020 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
Alaska Fisheries Science Center Salmon Bycatch Report
2017 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
Alaska Fisheries Science Center Salmon Bycatch Report.
Research
Meet the Task Force Members
Andrew Munro, North Pacific Fishery Management Council Dr. Andrew Munro is a fisheries scientist and statewide stock assessment scientist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He has been a member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council…
Faster turnaround times and integrated new data shed light on salmon bycatch dynamics in Alaska
NOAA Fisheries has identified a new way to deliver more timely genetic information to help resource managers and fishermen in their effort to reduce salmon bycatch in commercial groundfish fisheries. Having access to information like this faster is…
Chinook and non-Chinook Prohibited Species Catch (PSC) in Alaska
Salmon prohibited species bycatch estimates for the groundfish fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands and the Gulf of Alaska.
Outreach & Education
¡Cuento con usted! edición salmón (en español)
Aprenda a administrar el salmón responsablemente.
I'm Counting on You! Salmon Brochure About Issues Affecting Salmon and How You Can Help
Learn about the threats facing salmon and what you can do to help.
Protectores de Salmónidos (en español)
A través de los cómics, los juegos de palabras, y los laberintos, los niños aprenden sobre la…
An Incredible Journey – Curriculum About Issues Affecting Salmon and How to Become a Salmon Steward
This curriculum includes 10 hands-on lesson plans that explore the salmon life cycle; the cultural,…
Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 12/22/2023