![]() Some populations of Chinook salmon are federally listed as endangered, while others are listed as threatened. Both parents will die before the eggs even hatch. Chinook salmon burn a lot of energy migrating to the nesting grounds, breeding and protecting the eggs. After mating, the male and female stand guard over the eggs to protect them from predators. A female digs a nesting hole (called a redd), where she deposits thousands of eggs before the male releases his sperm. The time of breeding depends on the river and the population of salmon, but most breed in the summer and autumn. At their birth stream, male and female salmon pair up to breed. After so many years, some salmon can be hundreds of miles away. When an adult Chinook salmon reaches maturity, which can be anywhere from three to seven years of age, it makes the long migratory journey back to the site of its birth stream to produce young. Then it moves to estuaries and on to the open ocean, which provide a lot of food and nutrients to the developing salmon. For the first year or so, the juvenile salmon stays in its freshwater habitat. Chinook salmon are anadromous, which means they are born in freshwater streams and travel to the open ocean to grow into adulthood.
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