
Overview
- Species Common Name Chum Salmon
- Species Scientific Name Oncorhynchus keta
- Federal Listing Status Threatened
- State Listing Status Sensitive
- SMU/ESU/DPS/Subspecies Lower Columbia SMU, Columbia River ESU
Ecoregions

Coast Range
Oregon’s Coast Range, known for its dramatic scenery, is extremely diverse, with habitats ranging from open sandy dunes to lush forests and from tidepools to headwater streams. It follows the coastline and extends east through coastal forest to the border of the Willamette Valley and Klamath Mountains ecoregions

Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley ecoregion is bounded on the west by the Coast Range and on the east by the Cascade Range. This long mostly level alluvial plain has some scattered areas of low basalt, and contrasts with productive farmland and large urban areas. It has the fastest-growing human population in the state resulting in challenges due to land-use changes.

Nearshore
The Nearshore ecoregion includes a variety of habitats ranging from submerged high-relief rocky reefs to broad expanses of intertidal mudflats in estuaries and hosts a vast array of fish, invertebrates, marine mammals, birds, plants, and micro-organisms. This ecoregion encompasses the area from the outer boundary of Oregon’s Territorial Sea to the supra-tidal zone, and up into the estuaries.
Special needs
Require stream gravel bars with upwelling flow and side channels near tidewaters for spawning. Migrate to ocean soon after emergence. Productive nearshore marine habitat that provides high-quality prey in sufficient quantity for rapid growth at time of ocean entry.
Limiting factors
Alterations of hydrology and watershed function. Fish passage. Marine survival. Loss of estuarine habitat.
Data gaps
Population dynamics. Population genetics. Columbia River ESU currently considered extinct; further survey work planned to determine status in Oregon. Distribution and abundance in Oregon marine waters.
Conservation actions
Maintain or restore aquatic, estuarine, and riparian habitat. Continue ongoing restoration efforts involving landowners, tribes, and agency partners (NOAA, NMFS, ODFW, OWEB). Manage for sustainable harvest.
Key reference or plan
Lower Columbia River Conservation and Recovery Plan for Oregon Populations of Salmon and Steelhead