A unique trait of the chinook is its black gums and mouth. Freshwater Fishes of Canada. National Geographic. It's also known as a king salmon and is Oregon's state fish. [6], In the western Pacific, the distribution ranges from northern Japan (Hokkaido) in the south to the Arctic Ocean as far as the East Siberian Sea and Palyavaam River in the north. At this stage, chinook grow incredibly fast and can double their weight in a single summer. Salmon Fishing Banned Along U.S. West Coast. DIET: During their adult life history stage, Chinook feed on squid and fish such as the sandlance and herring. After laying eggs, females guard the redd from four to 25 days before dying, while males seek additional mates. Sporadic efforts to introduce the fish to New Zealand waters in the late 19th century were largely failures and led to no evident establishments. and in other areas closer to 20. Small chinook who reach sexual maturity after only one winter in the ocean or lake are usually males and referred to as “jacks”. [32] Scientists from universities and federal, state, and tribal agencies concluded the 2004 and 2005 broods were harmed by poor ocean conditions in 2005 and 2006, in addition to "a long-term, steady degradation of the freshwater and estuarine environment." The low population is being blamed on the collapse of the Sacramento River run, one of the biggest south of the Columbia. Chinook salmon sexually mature between the ages of 2 and 7 but are typically 3 or 4 years old when they return to spawn. Increased algal levels lead to higher levels of carbon dioxide in the water, which transfers into living organisms, fostering underwater plants and small organisms, which salmon eat. The Chinook is blue-green, red, or purple on the back and top of the head, with silvery sides and white ventral surfaces. The broodstock for the farms is usually selected from existing farm stock or sometimes sourced from wild populations. When they reach the ocean, their diet consists of herring, pilchards, sand lance, squid and crustaceans. Order a HLS or TFC Gift Card – We will put one in the mail for FREE! COVID-19: Get the latest updates, take a self-assessment or learn about the COVID Alert exposure-notification app. RANGE: The range of Chinook salmon extends from the Arctic, northwest to northern Pacific: drainages from Point Hope, Alaska down to Ventura River, California. Thus, it is vitally important for the fish to be able to reach the oceans (without man-made obstructions such as dams), so they can grow into healthy adult fish to sustain the species. The current sport caught World Record is 97 pounds 4 ounces (44.1 kg) and was caught in May 1985 by Les Anderson in the Kenai River (Kenai, Alaska) . Of the 13 wild Fraser River chinook salmon populations assessed, only one is not at risk. It can even live solely in freshwater, as demonstrated by the successful transplant of the species to the Great Lakes of North America. [10] Further efforts in the early 20th century were more successful and subsequently led to the establishment of spawning runs in the rivers of Canterbury and North Otago; Rangitata River, the Opihi River, the Ashburton River, the Rakaia River, the Waimakariri River, the Hurunui River, and the Waiau River. Chinook Salmon are “anadromous” fish, migrating upstream as adults to spawn in freshwater streams, and migrating as juveniles downstream to grow and mature in the ocean. [14], Chinook may spend one to eight years in the ocean (averaging from three to four years)[15] before returning to their home rivers to spawn. The Columbia River recent run sizes are equal or better to that of 1950. Fry and parr (young fish) usually stay in fresh water 12 to 18 months before traveling downstream to estuaries, where they remain as smolts for several months. [34][35], Chinook salmon in Lake Michigan are sought after by tourists enjoying chartered fishing trips. or 18 kg. Maximum reported age for Chinook salmon is 9 years. Marine Fisheries Review, 1/1/1994. However, the high cost of harvest and transport from this rural area limits its affordability. spend most of the year in the cold waters of … A Chinook's birthplace and later evolution can be tracked by looking at its otolith (ear) bone. Broad, shallow nests or redds, two to four feet wide, are dug in the gravel by the female in fairly deep, fast-flowing water. Coho salmon had been introduced the year before, and the program was a success. The streams in which spawning takes place are of large size and good flow, probably correlated with the size of the fish, since the spring salmon usually range in size from 16 to 30 lb. The population is thought to be derived from a single stocking of juveniles in the lower river around 1930.[9]. [31] The Pacific Fishery Management Council's goal for the Sacramento River run is an escapement total (fish that return to freshwater spawn areas and hatcheries) of 122,000–180,000 fish. Burger, C. V., Wilmot, R. L., & Wangaard, D. B. Fishing Reel Repairs – Have a Fishing Reel Sitting Idle Due To A River Mishap? Low stocking densities, ranging between less than 1 kg/m3 and around 25 kg/m3 (depending on the life stage of the salmon) and the absence of disease in the fish means New Zealand farmers do not need to use antibiotics or vaccines to maintain the health of their salmon stocks. Females deposit 3-14 thousand eggs in several nests made of gravel (also known as redds), which they dig in deep moving water. They tend to spawn in the mainstem of streams, where the water flow is high. Chinook salmon in Ontario spend most of the year in the cold waters of the Great Lakes return to tributary streams to spawn. In 1967, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources planted Chinook in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron to control the alewife, an invasive species of nuisance fish from the Atlantic Ocean. In the interest of fish welfare, a number of New Zealand salmon farming operations anaesthetise salmon before slaughter using Aqui-S™, an organically based anaesthetic developed in New Zealand that is safe for use in food and that has been favourably reported on by the British Humane Slaughter Association. Size. Eggs will usually hatch in late winter or early spring, depending on conditions. The Chinook salmon has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List. Thus, it is essential for algae and other water-filtering agents to not be destroyed in the oceans because they contribute to the well-being of the food chain. [2] Populations have disappeared from large areas where they once flourished, however,[3] shrinking by as much as 40 percent. Later, they change physiologically to live in salt water. They then reach the fry stage and come out of the gravel by early spring. [36] A 2016 survey of Wisconsin anglers found they would on average pay $140 for a trip to catch Chinook salmon, $90 for lake trout, and $180 for walleye. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. The average number of eggs laid by a single female is about 5,000 and these may be deposited in several nests. [21] The United States has not produced farmed Chinook in commercial quantities since 1994.