Fish I.D. Chum Salmon - Oncorhynchus keta

**KingSalmon Admin** · 03-08-2011, 03:54 PM

Chum Salmon Oncorhynchus keta

A.k.A. Names: Dog salmon, Keta salmon
Family: Salmonidae
Range: Oregon, North to Bering Strait Alaska, Bering Sea Regions
I.D. Tips: Large teeth, vertical color bars, hooked bottom and top jaw
Run Timing: appears in tidewater from October to November, runs through December
Travel: Travels in small groups, moves with haste through center of stream
Holding: Drifts, pools, often lies near the front of shallow holes
Spawning Preference: Gravel side channels and shallow riffs, spawns through December, spawns close to tidewater in small streams
Spawning Color: Multi colored Vetical bars, red, green, white, black and yellow all possible in mix
Average Adult Size: 6 to 14 Lbs - Larger in Alaska and Canada

Please Keep Native Salmon & Steelhead in Water While Releasing Them!

Fresh or Bright Female Chum Salmon

Fresh or Bright Male Chum Salmon

Male Chum Salmon Head

The Chum salmon [Oncorhynchus keta] is most easily identified by the multi colored verticlal bars that extend from the gill plates back to the beginning of the tail. Chum salmon have unusually large teeth that often appear to hook backwards in to the mouth. A hooked jaw on both top and bottom is common in males. These tidal salmon move in with larger tides in late October or November often spawning just above the head of tidewater. Chum salmon darken faster than the other four species of Pacific salmon. They can often appear to be dark and past prime while still holding sea lice, not long after entering. This suggests that chum salmon can turn to spawning color in a span of 48 hours or less once in freshwater - see photo below.

Sea Lice on Darkening Chum Salmon

Chum Salmon Male 6 to 24 Hours in Freshwater

Chum Salmon Male 24 to 48 Hours in Freshwater

photos: Matthew Clark, Ed Fast

photo: Seattle Times

Chum Salmon Links & Resources