Chum Salmon Evaluation

Project Overview

This year-long habitat assessment looked at the chum populations in Willapa Bay using historical and current harvest data from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

The final report shows that the actual chum populations in Willapa Bay are unknown. The methods used by WDFW in predicating actual chum run size is seriously flawed. Our own data collection from historical records shows the harvested chum salmon in Willapa Bay has decreased since about 1950, and in the past 10 years the chum population has sharply decreased. Historically, chum salmon were 65% of the salmon population in Willapa Bay; today it is less than 5%.

Our study also showed that in Willapa Bay, habitat is not the limiting factor for salmon recovery. Of the 745 streams and rivers in Willapa Bay, only a few are known to have salmon.

In the past, our organization raised and released millions of chum, coho, and Chinook eggs, fry, and smolt, but in 2008, we were only able to collect 300,000 chum eggs. When eggs are available, we use remote site incubators to increase egg-to-fry survival.

Photo courtesy of opencage.info Newly-hatched chum salmon
  Remote Site Incubators (RSI)

Project Expenditures