chum salmon

noun

variants or less commonly chum

: a metallic bluish green salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) of the northern Pacific Ocean and Arctic Ocean that may reach a length of about 3.5 feet (1 meter) but is typically smaller

Note: Upon entering fresh water to spawn, the male chum salmon develops large, sharp teeth and becomes dark green to brown with reddish-purple vertical stripes.

Examples of chum salmon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While chinook and chum salmon are restricted, sockeye salmon, a less traditionally popular and available fish, has become an increasingly viable alternative. —Paige Vega, Vox, 3 July 2024

Researchers have also observed chum salmon increasing their populations in cooler, northern latitudes. —Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 May 2024

The research team found about 100 chum salmon that were spawning or had just finished spawning in the Anaktuvuk and Itkillik rivers of the North Slope, Alaska’s northernmost borough. —Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Oct. 2023

That bycatch includes king and chum salmon, crab, halibut, and other species. —Outdoor Life, 28 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

chum entry 5

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above