SALMON FACTS
- Information on Chum Spawning
- Salmon evolved with the glaciers
- Each species seeks out different spawning and rearing habitats:
a. Silvers - small tributaries
b. Chum - lower stretches of river
c. Pinks - lower stretches of river
c. Sockeye - rivers with lakes
e. Kings - fast or long high volume rivers
f. All species - tend to time rivers so as not to co-opt other species.
- Salmon once ran in all rivers of Northern Europe from Iceland to Portugal (including
British Isles and Scandinavia).
- Europeans were salmon dependent 25,000 years ago - salmon was the main food source.
- In the middle ages apprentice contracts had clauses stating the apprentice would only
have to eat salmon once or twice a week so abundant were the salmon.
- European salmon are like our steelhead in that they can spawn more than once.
- All Pacific salmon, except steelhead (Korea to northern California) die after spawning.
- Native peoples from the Ainu people in Japan to the Klamath people on continent and most
all indigenous people in between welcomed the first salmon ceremoniously.
- Many native peoples believed salmon were people who gave their salmon disguises as gifts
to the land people in gratitude for their respectful treatment.
- Each species of salmon has a different "burst" speed and one culvert might be
passable to Kings but not to Chums.
- Some salmon leap better than others. Chum don't like to jump.
- Chum fry don't hang around their natal streams very long.
- Silvers hang around for about one year.
- Some salmon stay in the gravel for 180 days depending upon oxygen content and water
temperature.
- Some salmon run up to 1,000 miles inland.
- The Irish believed in a salmon of wisdom who when caught and eaten bestowed wisdom on
the diner.
Back to Wild Olympic Salmon
North Olympic Salmon Coalition
P.O. Box 699
Port Townsend WA 98368
nosc@jefferson.wsu.edu
Telephone: 360-379-8051