The Chum Salmon

By Staff - Jun 15, 2003

The Chum Salmon has only emerged recently as a sport fish. The Chum and the Pink salmon are targets of the net fishery, but the fighting quality of the Chum sets it apart from the Pink. Once the Chum Salmon hits fresh water it takes on some pretty interesting colorations. Chum runs coincide with the Coho, and the rivers of the Fraser Valley are teeming with these purple and green barred beasts. The Chum Salmon deteriorates fast in fresh water, and these fish are a nuisance when after Coho in the Fall. But if found near salt water, in a river such as the Squamish, the chum has it's moments. Averaging 8-12 pounds, with a big fish in the twenties,the fish also know as the Dog salmon pull hard and will jump repeatedly. The first run from a fresh Dog rivals any of the five Salmon; after the first run they are easily turned. The Stave River near Mission is a popular Chum fishery, and in November the Stave is literally clogged with Oncorhynchus Keta.

Mature adults spawn from Sep-Jan in the South and as early as July up North; eggs are laid in gravel redds in lower reaches of streams, or up to 100 km from the mouth of larger rivers; fry emerge from gravel in April and May and swim directly to estuary; form schools and disperse along shore rearing in shallow, near-shore nursery areas; utilize eelgrass beds, estuarine marshes and tidal channels; move to deeper water as they grow; late-Jun & early-Jul begin to migrate to ocean (80-100 mm); spend 2-3 summers in ocean; on return, may pause at mouth of spawning river for several days or weeks depending on river discharge before migrating upstream.

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