Species Profiles: Life Histories and 

Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes 

and Invertebrates (Pacific Northwest) 

CHINOOK SALMON 

QL 

155 

.S63 

no. I I 

82-11.6 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

Coastal Ecology Group 

Waterways Experiment Station 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
National Wetlands Research Cent@ 

NASA _ SliJell Computer Complex 

1010 pause Baule-dard 

Slid& LA 70458 
FWS/OBS-8U11.6 

TR EL-82-4 

October 1983 

Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements 

of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Pacific Northwest) 

CHINOOK SALMON 

David A. Beauchamp, Michael F. Shepard 

and Gilbert B. Pauley 

Washington Cooperative Fishery Research Unit 

School of Fisheries 

University of Washington 

Seattle, WA 98195 

Project Manager 

Larry Shanks 

Project Officer 

Norman Benson 

National Coastal Ecosystems Team 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

1010 Gause Boulevard 

Slidell, LA 70458 

This study was conducted 

in cooperation with 

Coastal Ecology Group 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

Waterways Experiment Station 

Performed for 

National Coastal Ecosystems Team 

Division of Biological Services 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

Washington, DC 20240 
CONVERSION FACTORS 

Multiply 

Metric to U.S. Customary -- 

L!Y To Obtain 

millimeters (mm) 0.03937 inches 

centimeters (cm) 0.3937 inches 

meters (m) 3.281 feet 

kilometers (km) 0.6214 miles 

square meters (m') 10.76 

square kilometers (km') 

square feet 

0.3861 

hectares (ha) 

square miles 

2.471 acres 

liters (1) 0.2642 

cubic meters (m3) 

gallons 

35.31 cubic feet 

cubic meters 0.0008110 acre-feet 

milligrams (mg) 0.00003527 ounces 

grams (gm) 0.03527 ounces 

kilograms (kg) 2.205 pounds 

metric tons (mt) 2205.0 

metric tons (mt) 

pounds 

1.102 short tons 

kilocalories (kcal) 3.968 BTU 

Celsius degrees 1.8(Y) + 32 Fahrenheit degrees 

U.S. Customary to Metric - 

25.40 

2.54 

0.3048 

1.829 

1.609 

1.852 

inches 

inches 

feet (ft) 

fathoms 

miles (mi) 

nautical miles (nmi) 

millimeters 

centimeters 

meters 

meters 

kilometers 

kilometers 

square feet (ft‘) 0.0929 square meters 

acres 0.4047 hectares 

square miles (mi') 2.590 square kilometers 

gallons (gal) 

cubic feet (ft') 

acre-feet 

3.785 liters 

0.02831 cubic meters 

1233.0 cubic meters 

ounces (oz) 28.35 

pounds (lb) 

grams 

0.4536 

short tons (ton) 

kilograms 

0.9072 metric tons 

BTU 0.2520 kilocalories 

Fahrenheit degrees 0.5556(F" - 32) Celsius degrees - 
CONTENTS 

Page 

CONVERSION TABLE ................................ ii 

PREFACE .................................... iv 

NOMENCLATURE/TAXONOMY/RANGE 

MORPHOLOGY/IDENTIFICATION AIDS : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : 

LIFEHISTORY .................................. 

Spawning ................................... 

Fecundity, Eggs, and Alevins ......................... 

FryandSmolts ................................ 

MarineStages ................................ 

Growth Characteristics ............................ 

TheFishery ................................. 

ECOLOGICAL ROLE 

ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : 

Temperature ................................. 

Salinity ................................... 

Dissolved Oxygen ............................... 

Substrate .................................. 

Depth .................................... 

WaterMovement ................................ 

Turbidity .................................. 

LITERATURE CITED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 

1 

1 

4 

4 

4 

4 

6 

7 

7 

9 

10 

10 

10 

10 

10 

11 

11 

11 

iii 
PREFACE 

This species profile is one of a series on coastal aquatic organisms, 

principally fish, of sport, commercial, or ecological importance. The profiles 

are designed to provide coastal managers, engineers, and biologists with a brief 

comprehensive sketch of the biological characteristics and environmental requirements of the species and to describe ho\/ populations of the species may be 

expected to react to environmental changes caused by coastal development. Each 

profile has sections on taxonomy, life history, ecological role, environmental 

requirements, and economic importance, if applicable. A three-ring binder is 

used for this series so that new profiles can be added as they are prepared. 

This project is jointly planned and financed by the U.S. Army corps of Engineers 

and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Suggestions or questions regarding this report should be directed to: 

Information Transfer Specialist 

National Coastal Ecosystems Team 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

NASA-Slide11 Computer Complex 

1010 Gause Boulevard 

Slidell, LA 70458 

or 

U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station 

Attention: WESER 

Post Office Box 631 

Vicksburg, MS 39180 

This series should be referenced as follows: 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1983. Species profiles: life histories and 

environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates. 1J.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service, division of Biological Services, FWS/OBS-82/11. 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TR EL-82-4. 

This profile should be cited as follows: 

Beauchamp, D.A., M.F. Shepard, and G.B. Pauley. 1983. Species profiles: life 

histories and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (Pacific Northwest) -- chinook salmon. U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, Division of Biological Services, FWS/OBS-82/11.6. U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers, TR EL-82-4. I5 PP. 

iv 
NOMENCLATURE/TAXONOMY/RANGE MORPHOLOGY/IDENTIFICATION AIDS' 

Figure 1. Chinook salmon. 

CHINOOK SALMON 

Scientific name . ..Oncorhynchus 9swytscha (Walbaum) (Figure 1) 

Preferred common name...Chinook salmon 

Other common names........King salmon, 

tyee, spring, blackmouth (Haw and 

Buckley 1973) 

Class......................Osteichthyes 

Order.....................Salmoniformes 

Family.......................Salmonidae 

Geographic range: Anadromous in larger 

rivers from San Francisco Bay 

north to Arctic waters of Alaska, 

Canada, and the Soviet Union. 

Populations occur in Asia as far 

south as the islands of Japan. 

Freshwater populations have been 

introduced into the Great Lakes. 

Major rivers supporting chinook 

salmon runs in the Northwest 

Pacific biogeographical region are 

shown in Figure 2. Migration 

patterns are shown in Figure 3. 

Morphology: Dorsal fin (lo-14 

rays), adipose stout and fleshy, anal 

(13-19), pelvic (lo), abdominal with a 

free-tipped fleshy appendage above its 

insertion. Cycloid scales. Gill rakers 

(18-30) rough and widely spaced on 

first gill arch. Body elongate, moderate, lateral compression. 

Identification aids: Tail 

moderately forked with stiff outer 

rays. Moderately large irregular black 

spots on back, upper sides, dorsal, 

adipose, and both lobes of the caudal 

fi n. Black lower gumline. Juveniles: 

Parr marks appear as long vertical dark 

bars extending equally above and below 

the lateral line. Parr marks are wider 

than or equal to the width of spaces 

between marks. 

'Extracted from Hart (1973). 
5” 100 

0 50 100 

KILOMETERS 

~~~. Major ocean distribution .;.‘:.;,: . . . . 

PACIFIC GCEAN 

-_ 

“._ 

-. 

- . 

.-. 

‘-_ 

CALIFORNIA 

-_ 

--_ 

;--. I -. 

--. 

If -. 

Figure 2. Major rivers and coastal areas supporting chinook salmon in the 

Pacific Northwest. 

2 
BRITISH “, 

1 

I 

COLUhlBiA -ix 

ORE-GON 

1 +e PORT ORFORD 

Figure 3. Migration patterns of chinook salmon from southern British 

Columbia to northern California 

Fisheries 1959). 

(from Washington State Department of 

3