Chums are vitally important to coastal river systems, along with pinks. Many animals, birds and resident fish rely on the carcasses for food (think Squamish, Harrison and Chilliwack River Bald Eagles), eggs (resident whitefish, char, trout and Water Ouzels) and provide future nutrients to rivers. The fry produced are food for yearling coho, cutthroat, and wild steelhead juveniles, and of course feed mergansers, herons and gulls.
Chums and Pinks may be the most important driver to our lower mainland rivers and the more we have returning the more productive these watersheds will be, imo.
Recently the Chilliwack River hatchery has diverted funds from coho production to feed chum fry ... data shows feeding chum fry for about 30 days prior to release basically doubles adult returns. Considering the anecdotal evidence of good numbers of wild coho returning to the Chilliwack this season I suggest this strategy is in the best interest of the watershed and it's ecology.
As a fish advocate/river steward I believe there should no angler retention of chum and pink salmon on the C-V; they are far more important to the river system. Non retention would also help negate the on going angling ethics issue every pink year.