Species profiles: life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (Pacific Southwest). Chinook salmon. [Oncorhynchus tshawytscha]
The chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) is a valuable sport and commercial fish species and accounted for over 69% of the salmon caught off the California coast from 1971 through 1983. Chinook salmon runs in the Sacramento River, the major producer of chinook salmon in California, are devided into fall, late fall, winter, and spring runs. Other coatal rivers have fall and spring runs of chinook or only a fall run. After hatching, the sac-fry live in the gravel for a month or longer before they emerge as fry. Some fry migrate immediately to saltwater, other remain 2 to 12 months in freshwater before migrating. They remain in the ocean from 1 to 7 years; most females mature and return to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 4 years at sea. Some males return to spawn after only 1 year in the ocean, but most return after 2 to 4 years. All chinook salmon die after they reenter freshwater, whether they spawn or not.
- Research Organization:
- Humboldt State Univ., Arcata, CA (USA). California Cooperative Fishery Research Unit; Fish and Wildlife Service, Slidell, LA (USA). National Wetlands Research Center
- OSTI ID:
- 5390284
- Report Number(s):
- TR-EL-82-4/82-11.49; ON: TI86901605
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Isotopes and genes reveal freshwater origins of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha aggregations in California’s coastal ocean
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