Table of Contents
Introduction:
One of the largest species of Pacific salmon, chums are landed in commercial quantities in the eastern North Pacific from Del Mar, California, to the Mackenzie River in the Arctic Ocean and south to Honshu, Japan. Commercially caught friends range from 6 to 12 pounds. Almost all friends are caught with purse seines or gillnets. Although the price is correct, many buyers still avoid friends due to the inconsistent quality of the fish. At the top of the line are small amounts of trolling-caught chums produced by fishermen in British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. The purse seine fish are also quite good. Chum is classified into several stages. Silver Brights are ocean-driven fish with reddish-pink flesh and shiny silver skin. Half-rights have watermarks on the lateral line. Classification terms such as autumn chum, dark chum, qualla, calico chum, and river chum are used for fish with watermarks below the lateral line.
Introduction: product profile:
Chum salmon has a lower oil content than other wild salmon, giving it a relatively mild flavor. However, it is the fleshy and firm texture of wild species. The orange-orange flesh of chum salmon is paler than that of sockeye, coho, or chinook salmon and is firm and thick. Raw meat is orange, pink, or red. The exact color depends on where the fish was caught. The meat becomes progressively paler and greyish during upstream migration to spawn. Fish with watermarks below the sideline have tender meat that is not tasty, although it may be pink.
Cooking tips:
Chum meat is good in stews and other dishes where color is not a consideration. Due to its relatively low price, chum is often used in value-added items. Since chum is a lean fish, it is not roasted or grilled, as is the thicker salmon. Chum is best used with recipes designed to help fish retain their moisture. For roasting, marinate first and drizzle while cooking.
Conservation
There are two segments of the population of threatened chum salmon species under the delimitation of the Endangered Species Act. Chum salmon has historically been the most abundant species of Pacific salmon. Seven of the 17 historic spawning populations in the Hood Canal, in summer, are extinct. The 2005 chum salmon status report indicated an overall 6% decline in chum salmon stocks from the Columbia River. 14 of the 16 historic populations of chum salmon in the Columbia River are now believed to be extinct.
A variety of conservation efforts to improve critical chum salmon habitat include captive breeding of chum salmon in hatcheries, removal of prey and dam modifications, restoration of degraded chum salmon habitat, and quality improvement. of water and flows in the chum salmon habitat.
Migratory behavior
Chum salmon is a migratory species. Chum salmon are born in fresh water and then migrate to the ocean for their adult life and return to fresh water to reproduce.
Natural History
Chum salmon is a species of anadromous fish that spends its adult life in the ocean and migrates from its marine environment back to its native freshwater streams to spawn or reproduce. Chum salmon are semelparous and spawn only once and then die. This species of salmon is best known for the large canine spawning teeth exhibited by the males of the species on spawning runs to their native streams. They are second only in size to their cousins of the Pacific salmon, the chinook salmon.