chum salmon

noun

1. a Pacific salmon, Oncorhynchus keta, occurring from southern California to Alaska and off the coasts of Japan and Korea, fished commercially and for sport.

Word History and Origins

Origin of chum salmon¹

First recorded in 1905–10; chum, from Chinook Jargon cam “mixed colors, spotted, striped,” from Lower Chinook c'ə́m(·) “variegated”

Example Sentences

Hood Canal summer chum salmon runs dwindled to under 1,000 fish in the 1990s, spurring its listing under the Endangered Species Act.

From Seattle Times

Inevitably, there is accidental bycatch, such as chum salmon.

From Seattle Times

Sockeye and chum salmon were commonly found in temperatures down to just a few degrees above freezing, while coho and steelhead were absent from the coldest areas.

From Science Daily

There are several explanations for the rise of anisakid levels in pink and chum salmon.

From Science Daily

He brightened the courtroom during cross-examination by offering his testy reference to state regulation of Frank’s favorite winter chum salmon runs on the Nisqually River:

From Seattle Times