Chum Salmon

Oncorhynchus keta

In-depth Information Regarding this Species

U.S. Range in the Pacific Ocean	Alaska to San Diego (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Depth range (meters)	Surface to 95 (LeBrasseur and Barner 1964 in Emmett et al. 1991)
General Salinity Range (ppt)	Anadromous (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Average Maximum Overall Length (cm)	102 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) 107 (Squire and Smith 1977 in Emmett et al. 1991)
Average Maximum weight (kg)	Up to 15 Usually 4.5–6.8 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Overall Age at Maturity (years)	3–5 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) 2–6 (Love 1996)
Overall Length at Maturity (cm)	63.5 (Bell 1984 in Emmett et al. 1991)
Type of Reproduction	Oviparous (Love 1996) Gonochoristic, oviparous, semelparous (Emmett et al. 1991)
Fecundity	2,000–4,000 (Love 1996)
Spawning Habitat	Gravel (Love 1996)
Spawning Behavior	Die after spawning Female digs nest in gravel (Love 1996) Both sexes are aggressive during spawning (Emmett et al. 1991)
Time of Year of Spawning	Late Fall or Winter (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Spawning/Temperature Relationship (°C)	7.2–12.8 (Bell 1984 in Emmett et al. 1991)
Habitat where Eggs are found	Benthic, infaunal (Emmett et al. 1991)
Days to Hatch	15–135 (Emmett et al. 1991)
Temperature for Egg Survival (°C)	4.4–13.3 (Bell 1984 in Emmett et al. 1991)
Habitat where Larvae are found	Benthic, infaunal (Emmett et al. 1991)
Temperature for Larval Survival (°C)	6.7–13.3 (Bell 1984 in Emmett et al. 1991)
Salinity for Larval Survival (ppt)	Once yolk is absorbed prefer saltwater (Baggerman 1960; Iwata et al. 1986 both in Emmett et al. 1991)
Length when Juvenile Settles out (cm)	At 46–61 cm enter ocean (Love 1996)
Temperature for Juvenile Survival (°C)	1–15 (Bell 1984 in Emmett et al. 1991)
Juvenile Food Preference	Insects and Insect larvae (Love 1996) Harpaticoid copepods and Gammarid amphipods (Emmett et al. 1991)
Adult Food Preference	Zooplankton, Fish (Love 1996) Euphasiids, Squid, Pteropod, Fish (Emmett et al. 1991)
Commercial Fishery	Large fishery (Love 1996)
Sold Fresh or Frozen	Fresh and Frozen (Love 1996)
Style Species is Sold	Canned Smoked (Love 1996)
Additional Remarks	Released from hatcheries throughout the North Pacific (Love 1996) Second (to pink) most abundant Pacific salmon (Love 1996) Most important Pacific salmon to Japanese fishers (Emmett et al. 1991)

Recent Wild Harvest Data for Oregon
Data from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Year	Total Catch (Pounds)	Ex-vessel Value ( U.S. Dollars)
1989	4,164	2,144
1990	3,909	2,745
1991	1,298	560
1992	2,786	684
1993	256	135
1994	186	48
1995	102	44
1996	60	8
1997	250	69
1998	111	21

© 2003 Stephen Sempier