Summer Chum are a keystone species that return to Hood Canal rivers each August, bringing vital nutrients back to the watershed when rivers are at their lowest, warmest, and most nutrient-deprived. Often called the first “fertilizer” of the season, they support the entire ecosystem—from trees, shrubs, insects, and birds to fish species such as Chinook, coho, steelhead, and sea-run cutthroat. In fact, the health of Hood Canal’s culturally and economically important Chinook salmon depends in part on the nutrients provided by Summer Chum. Their annual return is a remarkable reminder of how one species can sustain an entire watershed.