Chum salmon, dog salmon • Oncorhynchus keta
Heiltsuk/Haíɫzaqv - ǧváx̌ṇís • Nuxalk - t'li
{Oncorhynchus = derived from Greek words for nail and snout; keta = common name for the species in Kamchatka, Russia}
Photos by Morgan Hocking (bottom left), Brandon Harvey (bottom right), and Mike Munroe.
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Identification
Chum salmon usually weigh 12-15 lb and measure 35-45 inches long, though the maximum recorded size for this species is 43 inches and 45.8 lb. Non-spawning chum are green-blue with silver sides and some black speckling; a key distinguishing feature is the lack of distinct black spotting on the back and tail. The section connecting tail and body is narrower than in other Pacific salmon species. The edges of the caudal, anal, and pectoral fins of males are tinged with black; the anal fin (also the pelvic fin during spawning) is tipped with white. Spawning adults, particularly males, have green and reddish or purplish barring along their sides. Spawning adults also have large teeth and distinctly hooked jaws. Click here for an illustrated identification guide for the marine versus freshwater phase of chum.
Habitat & Range
Chum are anadromous, meaning they live part of their life in the ocean and part in fresh water. Fry hatch in fresh water (streams, rivers, or sometimes lakes) and migrate to the ocean in schools fairly soon after. They stay close to shore for a few months before migrating to the open ocean (click here for a Pacific Northwest chum migration map; click here for a distribution comparison with other Pacific salmon species). They spend three to four years at sea before returning to spawn in their place of birth. The general Pacific salmon migration pattern is north along the coast, westward out to sea, then south and eastward back to the coast. Click here for freshwater distribution map for coho salmon in BC.
Coho are native to both sides of the North Pacific as well as the Mackenzie River in the Canadian Arctic. In the Pacific Northwest their range extends from the Bering Sea to southern California; along the coast of Asia their range extends from the Lena River in the Arctic through to the Bering Sea and south to Korea and southern Japan. Chum were introduced in Iran.
Similar Species
Non-spawning chum can be confused with sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka) and sometimes coho salmon (O. kisutch). Chum are generally larger, and the white-tipped anal fin is usually a useful ID characteristic.
Human Uses
Pacific salmon have been a vital food source as well as a central cultural symbol for coastal First Nations groups for thousands of years, and continue to be a key resource for coastal communities today. It is highly valued in Japan, but in North America it is considered less desirable than Sockeye, coho, and chinook. It smokes well, and has a relatively mild flavour. Click here for a Japanese-style chum recipe.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/107572-Oncorhynchus-keta
Chum salmon usually weigh 12-15 lb and measure 35-45 inches long, though the maximum recorded size for this species is 43 inches and 45.8 lb. Non-spawning chum are green-blue with silver sides and some black speckling; a key distinguishing feature is the lack of distinct black spotting on the back and tail. The section connecting tail and body is narrower than in other Pacific salmon species. The edges of the caudal, anal, and pectoral fins of males are tinged with black; the anal fin (also the pelvic fin during spawning) is tipped with white. Spawning adults, particularly males, have green and reddish or purplish barring along their sides. Spawning adults also have large teeth and distinctly hooked jaws. Click here for an illustrated identification guide for the marine versus freshwater phase of chum.
Habitat & Range
Chum are anadromous, meaning they live part of their life in the ocean and part in fresh water. Fry hatch in fresh water (streams, rivers, or sometimes lakes) and migrate to the ocean in schools fairly soon after. They stay close to shore for a few months before migrating to the open ocean (click here for a Pacific Northwest chum migration map; click here for a distribution comparison with other Pacific salmon species). They spend three to four years at sea before returning to spawn in their place of birth. The general Pacific salmon migration pattern is north along the coast, westward out to sea, then south and eastward back to the coast. Click here for freshwater distribution map for coho salmon in BC.
Coho are native to both sides of the North Pacific as well as the Mackenzie River in the Canadian Arctic. In the Pacific Northwest their range extends from the Bering Sea to southern California; along the coast of Asia their range extends from the Lena River in the Arctic through to the Bering Sea and south to Korea and southern Japan. Chum were introduced in Iran.
Similar Species
Non-spawning chum can be confused with sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka) and sometimes coho salmon (O. kisutch). Chum are generally larger, and the white-tipped anal fin is usually a useful ID characteristic.
Human Uses
Pacific salmon have been a vital food source as well as a central cultural symbol for coastal First Nations groups for thousands of years, and continue to be a key resource for coastal communities today. It is highly valued in Japan, but in North America it is considered less desirable than Sockeye, coho, and chinook. It smokes well, and has a relatively mild flavour. Click here for a Japanese-style chum recipe.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/107572-Oncorhynchus-keta
References
About Pacific Salmon. About the Commission. Pacific Salmon Commission. Accessed 12/09/2014
Fisheries and Oceans Canada. (2014). Chum Salmon (AKA dog salmon) Oncorhynchus keta. Government of Canada. Accessed 12/09/2014.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada. (2010). Aquatic Species - Details for Chum Salmon. Government of Canada. Accessed 12/09/2014.
Lamb, A. and Edgell, P. Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest. Revised. (2010). Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. P. 58-59.
MacDuffee, M. and Rosenburger, A. Wild Salmon Program. Projects. Raincoast Conservation Foundation. Accessed 12/09/2014.
Oncorhynchus keta (Walbaum, 1792). In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed 12/09/2014.
Species and Lifecycle: Chum. Pacific Salmon Foundation. Accessed 12/09/2014.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2014).
About Pacific Salmon. About the Commission. Pacific Salmon Commission. Accessed 12/09/2014
Fisheries and Oceans Canada. (2014). Chum Salmon (AKA dog salmon) Oncorhynchus keta. Government of Canada. Accessed 12/09/2014.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada. (2010). Aquatic Species - Details for Chum Salmon. Government of Canada. Accessed 12/09/2014.
Lamb, A. and Edgell, P. Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest. Revised. (2010). Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. P. 58-59.
MacDuffee, M. and Rosenburger, A. Wild Salmon Program. Projects. Raincoast Conservation Foundation. Accessed 12/09/2014.
Oncorhynchus keta (Walbaum, 1792). In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed 12/09/2014.
Species and Lifecycle: Chum. Pacific Salmon Foundation. Accessed 12/09/2014.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2014).