What's So Special About Summer Chum? |
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Kylie Stoneburner and Cheri Scalf with a summer chum at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife monitoring station on Salmon Creek. Image: Cheryl Lowe |
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Last month, after eight years of listening to others talk about NOSC’s spawner surveys, I was finally in chest waders in Chimacum Creek with a volunteer team, looking for summer chum. I knew the basics about spawning salmon before donning my waders, but now that I was actually there, I had so many more questions about why we gather data about these particular fish.
NOSC volunteers collect data about Hood Canal summer chum coming home to spawn in Chimacum Creek. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) collaborates with NOSC, several Tribes, and other salmon conservation groups to monitor summer chum populations on 15 streams in the Hood Canal region. (Click to read: A History of Summer Chum in Chimacum Creek.) But why the focus on summer chum?
Although chum salmon are the most numerous salmon in Washington and are found from California to Alaska, and from Korea to the Arctic in Asia, their story is much more complex than that. Various populations of each species of Pacific salmon return to natal streams or rivers at particular times or seasons. In Washington, there are summer, fall and winter-run chum populations. These genetically distinct populations are also differentiated by the geographic area in which they spawn and subdivided into ‘runs’ called Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs). Two of the four ESU populations of summer chum are listed as Threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act: Hood Canal (which includes Discovery Bay and Sequim Bay) and Columbia River summer chum. In our region, federal and state agencies, tribes and other organizations have made a concerted effort to increase Hood Canal summer chum population numbers for over two decades. Although the general trend toward recovery of Hood Canal summer chum is encouraging, fish counts in individual streams or rivers fluctuate significantly from year to year, so we are all still working to build summer chum runs that are strong over time and throughout this geographic range before it can be de-listed.
All juvenile chum salmon migrate to shallow nearshore habitats soon after emerging from their redds. They then spend one to several months in various estuary habitats before heading out to the ocean. Genetically distinct populations have evolved to fit the unique environmental conditions in their natal streams, contributing to genetic diversity and strengthening the ability of the species to adapt to changing conditions over time. Think about the variation in stream and river conditions that all salmon face from year to year: seasonal and yearly flows, different stream gradients, sediment characteristics, shifting channels, accumulation of woody debris, and changes in nearshore habitats and ocean conditions. In spite of all these variables, these fish survive.
Hood Canal summer chum have even more challenges than other chum populations. They usually spawn from late Aug through mid-October in the lowest reaches of their natal streams. Stream flows are usually low and water temperatures higher before the fall rains arrive. Although heading upstream during low flow seems ecologically disadvantageous, scientists identify certain advantages for summer chum that might outweigh low flow & warm water challenges. Early spawning means increased embryonic development when stream temperatures are warmer. Avoiding high stream flows during spawning and early incubation means more stable redds. Earlier smolt development leads to earlier entry into estuarine habitats when the juveniles head downstream and maybe fewer predators or less competition for food. We don’t really know. In the long run, because summer chum return and spawn earlier than other chum, we do know that they contribute to the ecological and genetic diversity of the species, enhancing its resilience to changing conditions. Our joint efforts to understand and enhance Hood Canal summer chum runs supports that resilience.
WDFW’s SalmonScape on-line mapping program provides an excellent visual illustration of how this diversity plays out in our regional streams and rivers. Click HERE to view (then, click on the Fish Distribution category to select the specific salmon run you want to know about.).
On that first day of surveying on Chimacum Creek, I was nervous about watching my step and doing everything right. Then I spotted a beautiful summer chum in the mouth of an otter perched on a mossy log over the creek. How perfect. I know our surveys are designed to gather data for scientific purposes, but participating in the surveys has also given me a much greater appreciation for the ecological web of life circling around salmon, the amazing journey that brings them back to their home waters, and the magic of how they navigate the challenges of this last stage of life. I wish them well.
-By Cheryl Lowe
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Group of all those who participated on Orca Day! Note: Safe Covid-19 guidelines were followed. Image: Nate Roberts
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With the decline of the Southern Resident orca populations based in Puget Sound, Washingtonians became concerned. Numerous factors influence the decline of orca populations, and foremost among them is the decline in food sources such as Chinook salmon, a species that comprises the primary diet for Southern Resident orcas. As salmon populations have struggled due to loss of habitat, orcas have subsequently suffered.
In response to the decline of orcas, Puget Sound Conservation District Caucus created Orca Recovery Day. On October 16th, in collaboration with the Jefferson County Conservation District and the Jefferson Land Trust, the Salmon Coalition organized a planting event at Snow Creek Estuary Preserve near Discovery Bay. Planting trees and shrubs can improve salmon habitat by providing shade, increasing the stability of the stream banks, and creating more food sources for outgoing salmon.
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US representative Derek Kilmer, speaking with NOSC executive director Rebecca Benjamin and board member Kathryn Neal. Image: Kevin Merrigan |
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Thanks to our wonderful volunteers, Orca Recovery Day was a huge success! The volunteers planted nearly 200 plants, and installed tubing protection for the plants. We were joined by US Representative Derek Kilmer, who put in his fair share of plants and brought humor and enthusiasm to the event. The day ended with some volunteers walking down to Snow Creek and spotting a few chum salmon near the mouth of the creek. As restoration work along Snow Creek improves suitable habitat for salmon species such as chum, and their numbers increase, the impact of our work also supports orcas and the entire ecosystem. |
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Volunteers Jane Guiltinan and Cindy Breed smile as they finished planting snowberry! Oceanspray,
Nootka rose, and red twig dogwood, were among the other native species planted. Image: Kevin Merrigan
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Coho Spawner Survey Training
Wednesday, November 3rd
Time: 11:30am-1pm
Finnriver Farm & Cidery, Chimacum
With the chum salmon spawner survey season ending, we would love to have some volunteers help us with coho surveying!
Limit of 25 people, RSVP required
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Recently, NOSC and other RFEGs received grant funding for the exciting opportunity to implement the Salmon in the Schools program in elementary schools located in underserved communities statewide. This program allows teachers and students to learn more about salmon and their life cycle by raising salmon from eggs in their classroom, then releasing them once they are of appropriate age into a local salmon-bearing stream. |
Salmon in Schools will involve field trips in which students release the salmon they helped raised in the classroom. |
Under this grant, NOSC will provide the tank and related equipment, deliver the eggs to the classrooms, assist with tank maintenance, provide 3 class lessons, and assist with coordinating a field trip to release their fish. Participating schools include Salish Coast Elementary in Port Townsend, Chimacum Elementary, and Hamilton Elementary in Port Angeles. Our first visits to classrooms begin in late November, and we can’t wait to work with the teachers and their amazing students! |
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A returning pink salmon in Morse Creek this September. Image: John Gussman |
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Thank you to all who attended our Annual Meeting on the 28th! It was wonderful sharing the changes we've seen at Morse Creek, 11 years after the project completed, a sneak peak at the Real Learning Real Work virtual curriculum, and to provide you with a look into the future projects that are being developed. We are so grateful to have you in our salmon community and thank you for your continued support through your volunteering and donation efforts. Congrats to our raffle basket winners: Sarah Hadlock, Jim Pearson, and Rebecca Benjamin. Looking forward to some fun winter planting events, coho surveys, and work parties!
Click the button below to watch the 2021 Annual Meeting if you missed it this Thursday.
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Base funding for the RFEG program comes from a grant from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, a portion of state commercial and recreational fishing license fees, and excess egg and carcass sales administered by the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. |
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Give Us Your Feedback
Questions or Comments? Let us know what you think!
outreach@nosc.org
360.379.8051
www.nosc.org
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