NEPA - EIS
Jan 20, 1999
Jan 20, 1999 NEPA - EIS
Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement Regarding Proposed Issuance of an Inci…
- Publication type: Draft
Item 1
FWS Focus
Overview
Characteristics
Overview
Chum salmon are an anadromous Pacific salmon species that spend their adult lives in the ocean and migrate from their marine environment back to their fresh water natal streams to spawn. Like other Pacific salmon, chum salmon reproduce only once and then die.
Scientific Name
Oncorhynchus keta
Common Name
chum salmon
FWS Category
Fishes
Identification Numbers
Characteristics
Characteristic category
Physical Characteristics
Characteristics
Size & Shape
Chum salmon typically weigh between 6 - 15 pounds but can weigh up to 45 pounds. These salmon average 24 inches in length, but can reach up to 3.6 feet. They are second only in size to their Pacific salmon cousins, the chinook salmon.
Color & Pattern
When chum salmon enter fresh water they undergo a dramatic morphological change. Both males and females develop a pattern of bold red and black tiger stripes. Juvenile chum salmon, before migrating to the ocean, exhibit a dark back and light belly coloration to prepare them for survival in the open water of the ocean.
Characteristic category
Life Cycle
Characteristics
Life Cycle
Chum salmon are an anadromous Pacific salmon species that spend their adult lives in the ocean and migrate from their marine environment back to their freshwater natal streams to spawn. Like other Pacific salmon, chum salmon spawn only once and then die. During the ocean phase of their life history, chum salmon look remarkably similar to both coho and sockeye salmon.
Juvenile chum salmon, before migrating to the ocean, exhibit a dark back and light belly coloration to prepare them for survival in the open water of the ocean. They seek deeper water and avoid light while their kidneys and gills undergo a transformation so that they can successfully inhabit the marine environment.
Reproduction
Like other Pacific salmon, chum salmon spawn only once and then die.
Geography
Characteristics
Range
The range for chum salmon in the North Pacific includes Korea, Japan, Okhotsk and the Bering Sea, Artic Alaska, and south to San Diego California in the United States. They are also found in Asia in Iran.
Timeline
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