A widely distributed Pacific salmon with striking vertical bars at spawning, central to indigenous fisheries from Alaska to Japan.
Where it lives
Chum salmon have the broadest range of any Pacific salmon, spanning the North Pacific from Korea and Japan, north through the Bering Sea, into the Arctic, and south along North America to Oregon. They typically use lower-river spawning grounds rather than long inland migrations.
How to recognise it
Sea-phase chum are silvery with faint pencil-thin spots and no large dark spots on the tail. Spawning fish — particularly males — develop dramatic vertical greenish-purple bars (the “calico” pattern) on the flanks, a long hooked jaw, and big canine-like teeth that earned the nickname “dog salmon.”
Diet & behavior
At sea, chum eat zooplankton, jellyfish, squid, krill, and small fish. They mature at three to five years. Spawning happens in autumn in lower-river gravels; fry migrate to sea soon after emergence.
Fisheries & Conservation
Globally Least Concern. A major roe fishery in Japan and Russia targets chum specifically. Indigenous communities throughout coastal Alaska have relied on chum for centuries.