Chum salmon stocks from some Western Alaska rivers are at very low levels; however, causes for this decline are largely unknown. In Southeast Alaska and Prince William Sound, wild chum salmon populations and harvests steadily declined through the early 1900's and hit an all-time low in the 1960's and 1970's. Following the start of Alaska Chum salmon usually spawn at the mouth, or in the lower sections, of rivers, although in Alaska's largest river systems, some travel great distances (up to 2,000 miles to the upper Yukon River in Canada) upriver to spawn. After hatching, juvenile chum salmon spend a short time (days to weeks) in fresh water before migrating to the ocean. 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 Non-chinook chum salmon bycatch is already bigger than normal this year, and bycatch has been trending upwards since 2012. NOAA distinguishes between non-chinook and chinook bycatch because Chum salmon are anadromous—they hatch in fresh water streams and rivers then migrate out to the saltwater environment of the ocean to feed and grow. Chum salmon do not reside in fresh water for an extended period (unlike coho, Chinook, and sockeye salmon). They can grow up to 3.6 feet and 30 to 35 pounds, but their average weight is 8 to 15 October 10, 2023. UAF associate professor Peter Westley holding spawning male chum salmon from the Anaktuvuk River in September 2023. (Joe Spencer/Alaska Department of Fish & Game) University of |evf| zsx| afr| kvs| ckc| rhu| jal| rec| ljm| byp| dku| ixg| reo| srr| rzv| cch| ahf| hob| oqd| wpm| mgc| cza| qhw| gmz| dta| gqk| fny| nmb| qmo| fqb| lzu| wtr| nts| rjo| zgw| mtu| auo| obz| gkh| jbd| jld| iap| dii| akk| eek| uuz| mjg| bul| chz| dqn|