https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/240082849 (Week 2)

The reason I chose to post about chum salmon is because I have fallen in love with salmon through working as a Lead Guide at DIPAC this summer. I knew that The Shrine of St. Therese had a true natural wild salmon run from talking to locals while working, so I wanted to see it for myself. While on my way there I was hoping and praying that I would get to see some because I knew that the chum were at the end of their session. When I finally arrived, it was extremely easy for me to find them, because all I had to do was walk down a marked path. If you know nothing about salmon and their life cycle none of this probably makes sense to you. Which is completely fine because I’m hoping that you will get to learn about them here through me.

Chum salmon are anadromous fish, meaning that they hatch in freshwater streams/rivers and then migrate to the ocean to feed and grow. “Young chum salmon (fry) typically migrate directly to estuarine and marine waters soon after they are born. As they grow larger, they migrate offshore across the North Pacific Ocean. As they approach sexual maturity, they migrate back into coastal waters and return to the freshwater area where they were born to spawn. They spawn from late summer to March, with peak spawning concentrated in early winter when the river flows are high” (NOAA). People use chum salmon in many different ways. They use their eggs for caviar, they can use their skin/scales for salmon leather, and they can eat them, however, that being said most people believe that chum salmon is the worst tasting out of the five kinds of Pacific salmon. “Chum salmon are harvested primarily in commercial net fisheries and to a lesser extent by commercial troll fisheries, as well as sport, personal use, and subsistence fisheries” (Alaska Department of Fish and Game). Another important thing to note is that salmon die after they spawn which is why most of the photos I posted were of dead fish, because it’s part of their natural life cycle. This may be sad but it’s a great thing because even after death they are extremely important to the ecosystem, “salmon carcasses are a valuable source of energy and nutrients to the river ecosystem. Carcasses have been shown to improve newly hatched salmon growth and survival by contributing nitrogen and phosphorous compounds to streams” (NOAA). I hope you all have enjoyed learning about chum salmon!

Citations:
Fisheries, NOAA. “Chum Salmon.” NOAA, 22 Dec. 2023, www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/chum-salmon#:~:text=Young%20chum%20salmon%20(fry)%20typically,they%20were%20born%20to%20spawn. Accessed 6 Sept. 2024.

“Commercial Salmon Fisheries Southeast Alaska & Yakutat Research: Chum Salmon.” Request Rejected, www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=commercialbyareasoutheast.salmon_research_chum. Accessed 6 Sept. 2024.

Posted on September 7, 2024 05:38 AM by gnangeletti