Anadromous Fish of the Dungeness River

PINK SALMON

Oncorhynchus gorbuscha (scientific names from the Greek roots onchos [hook] and rynchos [nose]; and gorbuscha (Russian name for the species in Alaska)

Humpback salmon, Humpies

The most abundant of the seven species of Pacific salmon, the pinks have two populations returning to the Dungeness River each year.  The summer run adults enter the river beginning in July and move upstream to the upper half of the river to spawn.  Spawning begins in August and continues into mid-September.  The fall pinks enter the river in September and spawn in the lower half of the river.  Spawning normally is complete by the end of October.  All pink salmon die after they spawn.  Dungeness pink salmon are all 2 year old adults.  Spawning years are always 2 years apart.  Most Puget Sound pink salmon are “odd-year” spawners meaning the 2 year cycle results in spawning during odd years only.

Young pink salmon emerge from the gravel in April and May.  Fry immediately swim downstream to saltwater.  Pink salmon fry may spend several months in the near-shore zones of the marine environment they find upon leaving the Dungeness River.

CHUM SALMON      

Oncorhynchus keta (scientific names from the Greek roots onchos [hook] and rynchos [nose]; and keta (native name for species in Kamchatka)

Dog salmon, Calico salmon, Dogs

The second most numerous species of salmon, the chum salmon exist in the Dungeness as two populations, a summer run and a fall run.  The summer run population is thought to be very small and little is known about this stock except when adults are observed in the river during the late summer.  The fall run of chum salmon enters the Dungeness in October and November with spawning taking place from November into January.  All chum salmon die after they spawn.  Adult chum are typically three, four and sometimes five years old.

Chum fry in the Dungeness migrate to the sea soon after emerging from the gravel.  Some chum fry may migrate with the pink salmon fry that emerge at similar times.  Others may spend several weeks in the freshwater environment, depending on flow conditions they encounter.  Chum fry form schools in the marine environment.  They remain near shore for several months.  The dispersement of fry into off shore marine waters takes place through the summer.

CHINOOK SALMON

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (scientific names from the Greek roots onchos [hook] and rynchos [nose]; and tshawytscha (native name for species in Kamchatka)           

King salmon, Springer salmon, Kings, Tyee, Springers

Chinook salmon are the largest of the Pacific salmon, earning the nick name “king.”  In the Dungeness the chinook run enters the river from May through July and are therefore labeled spring/summer run chinook.  These fish take advantage of the higher river flows brought on by seasonal snow melt conditions.  Spawning takes place starting in August in upstream locations and extending into early October in downstream locations.  All chinook salmon die after they spawn.  The age of adult chinook typically varies from 3 to 5 years with some 6 year old fish.

Chinook fry migration patterns are varied.  Some fry may migrate to sea not long after emergence.  Some migrate slowly downstream to the lower river where they spend the summer months.  One common freshwater life history type is for chinook to spend an entire year in freshwater, migrating to sea as a yearling.  Newly emerged chinook fry are often found in small schools together but as they grow bigger they become more territorial and aggressive.  A small proportion of Dungeness chinook are thought to have spent their first full year in freshwater

COHO SALMON       

Oncorhynchus kisutch (scientific names from the Greek roots onchos [hook] and rynchos [nose]; and kisutch (native name for species in Kamchatka)

Silver salmon, Blueback, Silvers

Coho salmon are common to most rivers and streams in western Washington.  The Dungeness is home to both a natural population and a large hatchery population.  Adults returning to the Dungeness River enter starting in September and continue through November.  Spawning takes place from November through January.  All coho salmon die after they spawn.  The vast majority of coho adults are 3 year olds, spending 1 _ years in freshwater and 1 _ years in saltwater.

Like many salmon in the Dungeness, young coho emerge from the gravel in spring.  However, coho fry do not migrate to sea until they are yearlings.  Migration does occur in the first year but within the river or stream of birth, usually in a downstream direction, and seasonally as flows increase or decrease.

SOCKEYE SALMON

Oncorhynchus nerka (scientific names from the Greek roots onchos [hook] and rynchos [nose]; and nerka (Russian name for the species)    

Red salmon, Blueback salmon, Reds

The sockeye salmon exists in the Dungeness River in small numbers.  Like many rivers on the Olympic Peninsula, the Dungeness is home to a handful of adult spawners each year.  It is not known whether these fish are strays from a larger population such as the Fraser or the Columbia or if they are naturally reproducing populations small in number.  These sockeye usually spawn in mainstem, upstream locations in early September.  All sockeye salmon die after they spawn.  Little is known about these “river run” sockeye except that the adults seem to be present each year at about the same time and use the same general area of river to spawn.

The freshwater life history of sockeye commonly requires a lake where newly emerged sockeye fry spend a year growing to smolt size and migrating to sea from May through July.  This is the main reason why the Dungeness is not home to a larger population of sockeye.  Adults normally spend 2 _ to 3 _ years in the ocean and return as 4 and 5 year old adults.

STEELHEAD

Oncorhynchus mykiss (scientific names from the Greek roots onchos [hook] and rynchos [nose]; and mykiss (native name for searun species in Kamchatka)

Steelhead trout, Rainbow trout, Searun rainbow, Coastal rainbow, Metalhead, Steelies

Steelhead were once thought of more commonly as sea run trout than salmon but these anadromous fish are closely related to the other Oncorhynchus species.  The notable difference is that, unlike their salmon cousins, not all steelhead die after they spawn.  A portion of the adult spawning population, as much as 25% in some populations, lives to spawn again the following year.  Some steelhead have lived long enough to spawn three or four different times.  There are two runs of steelhead in the Dungeness, a summer run and a winter run.  The summer run fish enter the river from May through October and spawn in late fall and winter.  The winter run fish enter the river from November through May and spawn from January through June.

Juvenile steelhead spend a considerable amount of their lives in freshwater.  Most steelhead spend 2 _ years in freshwater and from one to three years in saltwater.  Juvenile steelhead seek out relatively swift, cool, clean water to live in.  They migrate to sea as relatively large smolts, 6 to 10 inches long.

CUTTHROAT

Oncorhynchus clarki (scientific names from the Greek roots onchos [hook] and rynchos [nose]; and clarki (named after Captain William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition)     

Cutthroat trout, Searun cutthroat, Coastal cutthroat, Red-throated trout, Sea trout, Blueback, Cuts

Cutthroat are another fish commonly thought of as a sea run trout.  Like steelhead, however, cutthroat are closely related to salmon and share the same genus, Oncorhynchus but do not necessarily die after spawning.  Cutthroat are often found in marine areas at or near the mouth of their home rivers indicating some portion of the population does not exhibit a distant marine migration.  Adult cutthroat enter the river from September through November and spawn mostly during the winter months in small gravelly streams. 

Juvenile cutthroat spend a considerable portion of their lives in freshwater.  It may take 2 to 3 years before a cutthroat migrates to sea, commonly achieving a large smolt size (8 to 12 inches).  Cutthroat may spend one or more years in the sea but some may spend only a few months.  Some cutthroat may never actually leave the influence of their home river, spending the marine portion of their life history in the estuary.  Cutthroat are highly predatory and migration patterns of the population are thought to take advantage of the migration of juvenile salmon leaving the river.

DOLLY VARDEN     

Salvelinus malma (scientific name salvelinus is an old name for char; and malma is the native name for this species in Kamchatka)

Dollies, Char, Bull trout

There are anadromous and resident forms of Dolly Varden in many rivers of the Olympic Peninsula.  Dolly Varden and Bull Trout, both native char, are very closely related to each other and both are found in the Dungeness.

BULL TROUT

Salvelinus confluentus (scientific name salvelinus is an old name for char; and confluentus may relate to the close evolutionary relationship Bull Trout have with Dolly Varden, Salvelinus malma)         

Bull trout and Dolly Varden are members of the North American salmon family, which includes salmon, trout, whitefish, char, and grayling. Members of this family tend to prefer cold, clear waters, and the bull trout is exceptional for its demand for especially high quality, cold water like that found in the upper portions of the Dungeness River system.  Anadromous life history forms are found with both of these species and adults typically migrate to the home river in August and September.  Adults are typically 4 to 6 years old when first spawning.  Some anadromous native char may survive to be 10 years old.  Native char spawn in the fall when water temperatures drop to near 46 degrees (F).  Adults do not die after spawning but are in poor condition.  They move downstream and spend their winter in deep pools of the main river.

Juveniles emerge in the spring and grow fairly rapidly in spring and summer but slowly in the fall and winter.  Smolts migrate in May and June as 3 to 4 year olds and range in size from 4 to 8 inches.  Like some cutthroat, a portion of the anadromous fish may spend their time in the marine environment near the river of origin.  Little is know of the full extent of marine migration of anadromous, native char.  Bull trout and Dolly Varden are highly predatory fishes and anadromous migration patterns are thought to take advantage of the presence of juvenile salmon.