Chehalis Basin Fisheries Task Force
Anadromous Species Produced
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Chinook can be 5 feet long and weigh 129 pounds. Average adult chinook are about 3 feet long and weigh 30 pounds.
Chinook spawn in late summer to late fall in larger and deeper streams than other salmon. Young salmon usually stay in their birth river for 1 to 18 months. Then they travel towards the ocean where they stop to spend time in estuaries, where they remain up to 189 days. After leaving the estuary, chinook salmon spend 1 to 8 years at sea before returning to their birth stream to spawn. Chinook can be 5 feet long and weigh 129 pounds. Average adult chinook are about 3 feet long and weigh 30 pounds.
Chinook spawn in late summer to late fall in larger and deeper streams than other salmon. Young salmon usually stay in their birth river for 1 to 18 months. Then they travel towards the ocean where they stop to spend time in estuaries, where they remain up to 189 days. After leaving the estuary, chinook salmon spend 1 to 8 years at sea before returning to their birth stream to spawn. An average Chum can weigh 10 - 26 pounds. They are the second largest salmon after Chinook.
Chum salmon generally only spend time in fresh water to reproduce. Newly hatched chum called fry usually migrate to estuaries right after coming out of their gravel nests. During their first spring of life, chum salmon travel, or migrate to estuaries to spend several months before heading out to sea. Chum usually return to their birth rivers to spawn after 2-4 years at sea. They are the last salmon in the season to return from the ocean. An average Chum can weigh 10 - 26 pounds. They are the second largest salmon after Chinook.
Chum salmon generally only spend time in fresh water to reproduce. Newly hatched chum called fry usually migrate to estuaries right after coming out of their gravel nests. During their first spring of life, chum salmon travel, or migrate to estuaries to spend several months before heading out to sea. Chum usually return to their birth rivers to spawn after 2-4 years at sea. They are the last salmon in the season to return from the ocean. Coho salmon are smaller and slimmer than the chinook salmon. Coho salmon can reach up to 3.3 feet in length and weigh up to 30 pounds, but usually they weigh between 6.5 to 13 pounds.
Adult coho spawn from November to January and the eggs hatch the next spring. Young salmon, called fry, stay in their birth streams for over a year. After spending three years in the ocean, most adult coho return to their birth rivers to spawn. Some male fish return after just two years. These guys are called "jacks." Coho salmon are smaller and slimmer than the chinook salmon. Coho salmon can reach up to 3.3 feet in length and weigh up to 30 pounds, but usually they weigh between 6.5 to 13 pounds.
Adult coho spawn from November to January and the eggs hatch the next spring. Young salmon, called fry, stay in their birth streams for over a year. After spending three years in the ocean, most adult coho return to their birth rivers to spawn. Some male fish return after just two years. These guys are called "jacks." Adult cutthroat average 1 - 4 pounds, and can reach 20 inches in length.
The cutthroat can spawn more than once usually in the fall. When they spawn they often eat the eggs that other salmon have lain earlier in the season. Young cutthroat can spend 1 to 9 years in fresh water before they migrate to the estuaries and ocean in the spring usually when they are 3 yeas old. Coastal cutthroat usually spend less than 1 year in salt water before returning to spawn. After spawning, the adults that return to salt water are called kelts. Young cutthroats and adults are carnivorous like other salmon, which means they feed on other animals eating mostly insects, small creatures and other fish throughout their lives. Steelhead can be up to 3.7 feet in length and weigh up to 39.6 pounds, but usually weighs less than 10 pounds.
Young steelhead spend 1 to 4 years in freshwater feeding on small creatures, insects and small fishes before migrating downstream through estuaries to the open ocean. Unlike salmon, steelhead travel the oceans alone rather than in schools. Steelhead spend 1 to 5 years at sea before returning to their birth streams or rivers to spawn. Unlike salmon, steelhead do not always die after spawning and will return to the ocean to wait until it's time to spawn in another year.
Chinook can be 5 feet long and weigh 129 pounds. Average adult chinook are about 3 feet long and weigh 30 pounds.
Chinook spawn in late summer to late fall in larger and deeper streams than other salmon. Young salmon usually stay in their birth river for 1 to 18 months. Then they travel towards the ocean where they stop to spend time in estuaries, where they remain up to 189 days. After leaving the estuary, chinook salmon spend 1 to 8 years at sea before returning to their birth stream to spawn.
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