Salmon Country: A History of the Pacific Salmon

Patrick Colgan is the former executive director of the Canadian Museum
of Nature.

Salmon are totemic in British Columbia, and hence their decline has
personal as well as economic costs. Busch, a nature writer in that
province, has written a highly informative and readable account of the
fish and their difficulties. In the preface, he relates his awe at
viewing salmon runs and his concern for this endangered spectacle. The
tale moves sensibly through the biology of salmonids, fishing
historically and currently, and a look to the future. Busch enlivens
what might be dry taxonomy by noting the Greek and Russian etymologies
of binomials and, for certain parasitic worms, their length compared to
the organism. Senses, ecological relations, and life history are
deepened by the inclusion of the author’s personal experiences. Well
chronicled is the disastrous impact of human intervention in terms of
direct exploitation and incidentally through sources such as dams,
landslides, and pollution. In particular, Busch discusses the checkered
record of hatcheries and explains why anger at predation by aquatic
mammals or Natives is misdirected. Most valuable is his concluding list
of steps to improve the situation.

The flowing text is greatly augmented by reference material, figures,
and beautiful colored plates. The blend of scientific information and
environmental concern promotes both understanding and sympathy. An
astonishing amount of interesting history is woven into the narration,
along with attention-getting vignettes such as Lonely Leo (apparently
the last Red Fish Lake sockeye), the role of salmon bodies in supporting
scavenging eagles, and the fact that a federal fisheries minister did
not appear on the West Coast until 1936. Why salmon are seen as much as
a spirit as a resource to Natives, anglers, commercial fishermen, and
the general public is patently clear. Highly recommended for all who are
concerned about the environment.