Fisheries Resources and Species Management

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CENTRAL VALLEY FALL and late fall-RUN CHINOOK SALMON

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

Four distinct runs of Chinook salmon spawn in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River system, named for the season when the majority of the run enters freshwater as adults. Fall-run Chinook migrate upstream as adults from July through December and spawn from early October through late December. The timing of runs varies from stream to stream. Late fall-run Chinook migrate into the rivers from mid-October through December and spawn from January through mid-April. The majority of young salmon of these races migrate to the ocean during the first few months following emergence, although some may remain in freshwater and migrate as yearlings.

Fall-run Chinook are currently the most abundant of the Central Valley races, contributing to large commercial and recreational fisheries in the ocean and popular sportfisheries in the freshwater streams. Fall-run Chinook are raised at five major Central Valley hatcheries which release more than 32 million smolts each year. Due to concerns over population size and hatchery influence, Central Valley fall/late fall-run Chinook salmon are a Species of Concern under the federal Endangered Species Act.

• Central Valley Salmon and Steelhead Monitoring Programs (May 2007, .pdf)
• Restoring Central Valley Streams: A Plan for Action
• Contributions to the Biology of Central Valley Salmonids Fish Bulletin 179