How the wild fish were sold down the river

[StacyR]

While I was looking up information on another thread, I found a site that I thought people might find an interesting resource.

http://www.nwcouncil.org/history/Default.asp

How did we go from fish like this being a regular occurrence to feeling like we've got a monster if we land anything over 20 pounds?

http://www.nwcouncil.org/history/JuneHogs.asp

It's a tale of greed, indifference, bad science, and worse decisions. Lot of reading, but fascinating (not to mention guaranteed to make your blood pressure rise).

http://www.nwcouncil.org/history/Hatcheries.asp
http://www.nwcouncil.org/history/CommercialFishing.asp
http://www.nwcouncil.org/history/Canneries.asp
http://www.nwcouncil.org/history/DamsImpacts.asp
http://www.nwcouncil.org/history/FishPassage.asp
http://www.nwcouncil.org/history/SportFishing.asp

Parts relating specifically to ID:

http://www.nwcouncil.org/history/HellsCanyon.asp
http://www.nwcouncil.org/history/SnakeRiver.asp
http://www.nwcouncil.org/history/Sturgeon.asp

There's a ton of blame to go around. Here's a quote from the Dam Impact page:

In a 1995 article about salmon and dams, High Country News interviewed Floyd Dominy, 84, who was commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation during the dam-building frenzy of the 1950s and 1960s, and then-current commissioner Dan Beard, who was known for his anti-dam leanings. Dominy, who clearly believed dams were more important that fish, commented: “Now, I’m sure people can survive without salmon, but I don’t think they can survive without beans and potatoes and lettuce. . . .I think the [salmon-blocking dams were] worth it. I think there’s substitutions for salmon. You can eat cake.” Beard clearly had a different opinion. He told the newspaper that the problem of dams and salmon in the Columbia River, and the difficulty of rebuilding salmon runs there, was “the most complex natural resources problem in America today. Nothing else approaches it.”
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[troutpimp]

I have not read all of the articles, but am familiar with some of this information! What a great thread, and way to contribute! Thanks for this interesting reading suggestion. Glad to see we aren't merely swimming in an ocean of trolls around here.
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[Mojo1]

There are some really good books on the subject. I [#000000]would start with "Salmon Without Rivers" by Jim Lichatowich. Then read some of the books he cites in the bibliography. [/#000000]
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[windriver]

I haven't read all the info yet, but I will as I get time.

Thanks

Windriver
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[phutch30]

Salmon without Rivers is a great book on what happened to the salmon runs in the Columbia drainage.
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