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Chum salmon

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/Keurmerk Wild
Green
Second choice
Avoid
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General

Salmonids

There are many species that belong to the Salmonids or (Protacanthopterygii). Did you know trouts, smelts, and even pikes belong to the Salmon family? Salmonids occur in either salt and freshwater. Most species are well-specialized predators and live in temperate climate zones.  Salmonids are ray-finned fishes and can be distinguished by the ‘fat-fin’ between the backfin and tail. They do not have spikes and the pelvic and pectoral fin are separated.

Salmonids are sold farmed and wildcaught. Wildcaught salmon comes from the Pacific. Almost all Atlantic salmon on sold is farmed. Since the 90s the farming of salmon increased dramatically. Norway, chile, Scotland, Canada and the Faroe islands are important farming countries for salmon. In both, wild-caught and farmed salmon problems in sustainability are prevalent.

 

 

 

Chum salmon

The chum salmon has the largest distribution area of the salmon species. This area ranges from Alaska to California in the east and from Siberia to Japan and northwest China in the west. The chum salmon can reach an average length of 60 cm and can weigh 4.4-10 kilograms. Salmon are so called anadromous fish. This means that they are born is freshwater and then migrate to sea to become mature. After 1-8 years, the mature fish return to freshwater to reproduce. Salmon only reproduce once and die shortly after.

 

Chum salmon

Oncorhynchus keta
Origin

Pacific Ocean, north-east and north-west (FAO 61|67)

Farming- / Catch method

Purse seines, Pots and traps, Handlines and pole-lines (hand operated), Driftnets, Gillnets

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Explanation assessment

Multiple fisheries on Chinook salmon are [MSC certified],  in Alaska, Canada and Russia. These use a multitude of fishing methods, including the “fish wheel”, a wheel with fishing nets on it that rotates in the current and that way catches the fish and drops them in a collection basin. The Pacific salmon fishery is well regulated and the fishing methods bring little harm to the environment.

 

Chum salmon

Oncorhynchus keta
Origin

Pacific Ocean, north-east (FAO 67)

Farming- / Catch method

Purse seines, Hooks and lines, Gillnets

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Fish stocks and fishing pressure
Ecosystem effects
Fishery management
Final assessment
Explanation assessment

The Chum salmon stock in Alaska is healthy. The fishing on salmon with [purse seines] and [drift nets] pose no danger to protected species and there are little bycatchBycatch:
Species caught next to species targeted for fishery. By-catches can consist of non-commercial species and species that are too small, and can be kept (this part is sometimes called by-product) or thrown back into the sea (discards). 
and discardsDiscards:
Unwanted by-catch, which is thrown back because there is no quota, the market price is too low, or the fish is below the legal minimum landing size. Discards can be alive or dead.
. The seabed is not disrupted by the pelagic fishery. The fishery with gillnetsGillnets:
A fishing technique whereby passing fish get caught in the meshes with their gills. The net stands vertically on the bottom or hangs on buoys in the water column. The by-catch of species such as porpoises and dolphins is a problem related to gillnets.
has a risk of bycatch of endangered salmon stocks and seabirds. The salmon fishery is well managed by determining [escapement goals] for the most important salmon stocks and intense monitoring. The effects of releasing young salmon on the ecosystem are still unknown.

 

Chum salmon

Oncorhynchus keta
Origin

Pacific Ocean, north-east (FAO 67)
Deelgebieden: British Columbia

Farming- / Catch method

Purse seines

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Fish stocks and fishing pressure
Ecosystem effects
Fishery management
Final assessment
Explanation assessment

The chum salmon stocks in British Columbia are small. The effect of this fishery on vulnerable salmon stocks is unknown. There are measures being made to decrease the fishing pressure on salmon. The effects of releasing young salmon on the ecosystem are also still unknown. The disappearing of salmon will have a big impact of the nutrient supply of freshwater ecosystems. The chum salmon fishery is partially well managed. Escapement goals are determined, but these are not based on biological reference points.

 

Chum salmon

Oncorhynchus keta
Origin

Pacific Ocean, north-east (FAO 67)
Deelgebieden: British Columbia

Farming- / Catch method

Hooks and lines

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Fish stocks and fishing pressure
Ecosystem effects
Fishery management
Final assessment
Explanation assessment

The chum salmon stocks in British-Columbia are small. In the trollingTrolling:
A variation within handline fishing, whereby the lines with bait or artificial bait are slowly being pulled through the water. 
fishery on salmon there is bycatch of bottom fish. These bycatches are often landed too. The effect of this fishery on vulnerable salmon stocks is unknown. There are measures being made to decrease the fishing pressure on salmon. The effects of releasing young salmon on the ecosystem are still unknown. The disappearing of salmon will have a big impact of the nutrient supply of freshwater ecosystems. The chum salmon fishery is partially well managed. Escapement goals are determined, but these are not based on biological reference points.

 

Chum salmon

Oncorhynchus keta
Origin

Pacific Ocean, north-west (FAO 61)

Farming- / Catch method

Fykes

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Fish stocks and fishing pressure
Ecosystem effects
Fishery management
Final assessment
Explanation assessment

The Russian Chum salmon stock seems to be healthy. A reliable assessment of the Chum salmon stock is difficult because of the large number of released salmon. The fishing with fykesfykes:
A fishing technique where fish are attracted into a fyke. Fykes are pots or traps made of, for example, wire mesh.
has generally few negative effects on vulnerable species, only the bycatchBycatch:
Species caught next to species targeted for fishery. By-catches can consist of non-commercial species and species that are too small, and can be kept (this part is sometimes called by-product) or thrown back into the sea (discards). 
of the protected salmon species Taimen. There is probably a negative impact of the fyke fishery on this endangered salmon species. The management of the fishery on Chum salmon is largely effective.

 

Chum salmon

Oncorhynchus keta
Origin

Pacific Ocean, north-east (FAO 67)
Deelgebieden: British Columbia

Farming- / Catch method

Gillnets

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Fish stocks and fishing pressure
Ecosystem effects
Fishery management
Final assessment
Explanation assessment

The chum salmon stocks in British Columbia are small. Fishing with gillnets has the detriment that birds get entangled. Bycatch and discards are generally low with this method and gillnets don’t disrupt the seabed. The chum salmon fishery is partially well managed. Escapement goals are determined, but these are not based on biological reference points.The effects of releasing young salmon on the ecosystem are still unknown. The disappearing of salmon will have a big impact of the nutrient supply of freshwater ecosystems.

 

Chum salmon

Oncorhynchus keta
Origin

Pacific Ocean, north-west (FAO 61)

Farming- / Catch method

Driftnets, Gillnets

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Fish stocks and fishing pressure
Ecosystem effects
Fishery management
Final assessment
Explanation assessment

The Russian Chum salmon stock seems to be healthy. A reliable assessment of the Chum salmon stock is difficult because of the large number of released salmon. The fishing with [driftnets] and gillnetsGillnets:
A fishing technique whereby passing fish get caught in the meshes with their gills. The net stands vertically on the bottom or hangs on buoys in the water column. The by-catch of species such as porpoises and dolphins is a problem related to gillnets.
has much bycatch of vulnerable seabirds, whales and dolphins. There is also much bycatchBycatch:
Species caught next to species targeted for fishery. By-catches can consist of non-commercial species and species that are too small, and can be kept (this part is sometimes called by-product) or thrown back into the sea (discards). 
of the protected salmon species Taimen. The management of the fishery on Chum salmon is partially effective.

 

ASC label

Fish with the ASC label is farmed in a sustainable manner.

MSC label

Fish with the MSC label is caught sustainably.

Good fish

This fish is not being overfished or is being responsibly farmed, with minimal impact on the environment.

Second choice

This fish is a second choice. There are still some improvements to be made in this fishery or fish farm.

Avoid

Do not buy this fish. It's being overfished or the way it's farmed or caught has a negative impact on the environment.

Welfare

There is fish available of this species that is farmed or caught using high welfare standards.

GlobalG.A.P.

GlobalG.A.P. certified farms are doing a step in the right direction in terms of sustainability. A few species with this label are getting a better score on the VISwijzer.

Organic

Organic standards are the strictest when it comes to fish feed. They also require certain measures for animal well-being.