Chum Salmon – Coastal SMU – State Wildlife Action Plan

Overview

Species Common Name Chum Salmon
Species Scientific Name Oncorhynchus keta
SMU/ESU/DPS/Subspecies Coastal SMU (Pacific Coast ESU)
State Listing Status Sensitive
SMU/ESU/DPS/Subspecies Coastal SMU (Pacific Coast ESU)

Ecoregions

Columbia Plateau

The Columbia Plateau ecoregion was shaped by cataclysmic floods and large deposits of wind-borne silt and sand earlier in its geological history. It is dominated by a rolling landscape of arid lowlands dissected by several important rivers, and extends from the eastern slopes of the Cascades Mountains, south and east from the Columbia River to the Blue Mountains.

Nearshore

The Nearshore ecoregion includes a variety of habitats ranging from submerged high-relief rocky reefs to broad expanses of intertidal mudflats in estuaries and hosts a vast array of fish, invertebrates, marine mammals, birds, plants, and micro-organisms. This ecoregion encompasses the area from the outer boundary of Oregon's Territorial Sea to the supra-tidal zone, and up into the estuaries.

Special needs

Require stream gravel bars with cold, upwelling seeps or springs and side channels near tidewaters for spawning. Fry migrate to ocean soon after emergence and use edge habitat for cover. Productive nearshore marine habitat that provides high-quality prey in sufficient quantity for rapid growth at time of ocean entry.

Limiting factors

Alterations of hydrology and watershed function. Fish passage, especially barriers low in the watershed. Marine survival. Loss of estuarine habitat. Fry very susceptible to mortality from Ceratonova shasta, which is more prevalent in higher water temperatures.

Data gaps

Population dynamics. Population genetics. Distribution and abundance in coastal streams and Oregon marine waters. Fisheries-dependent data to determine bycatch and mortality in fisheries. Carrying capacity of occupied streams. Competition with other salmonids. Predation at all life stages. Unknown what types of habitat restoration projects specifically benefit Chum. Defined population recovery numbers.

Conservation actions

Maintain or restore aquatic, estuarine, and riparian habitat. Continue ongoing restoration efforts involving landowners, tribes, and agency partners (NOAA, NMFS, ODFW, OWEB, Watershed Councils, SWCD, Wild Salmon Center). Manage for population sustainability.