Salmon in 1870s: Cannery then concrete
[352] [desk-salmon-7] In 1870s, the field log for Salmon is headed “Cannery then concrete.” The figure kept beside that heading is 1938. It is a count or a date from the work, not a rank of the species’ worth. A zoo birthday card does not replace the log. Miocene radiation of pink, chum, sockeye, coho, Chinook and steelhead/rainbow.
Anadromous fishes that move ocean fat onto spawning gravels -- and into forests, treaties and hydropower fights. Most Oncorhynchus (Pacific) are semelparous. Salmo salar can spawn more than once. The postcard of corpses on gravel is a Pacific-weighted image. Isotope studies show marine nitrogen in riparian trees and songbirds. Bears and eagles are the visible vectors; the trees keep the receipt.
What did the Elwha dam removals show? After 2011-14, sediment flushed and salmon recolonised reaches above the old dams faster than some models feared -- a rare full-height teardown. Are hatcheries a solution or a delay? They keep harvest numbers up and can dilute wild fitness. The argument is now about proportions, not existence.
Why are Atlantic salmon a different politics? Wild S. salar collapsed in much of Europe and New England. Farmed Atlantic salmon in net pens are a separate industry with sea-louse and escape files. Many Alaska runs are still large and limited-entry managed. That success is not transferable to a heavily dammed Columbia without the same habitat.
Keep 1870s, “Cannery then concrete,” and 1938 together or the note on Salmon stops being that year’s record.1870s
Figures to keep
- Year of the note
- 1870s
- Figure to keep
- 1938
- Species
- Salmon
- Line in the log
- Cannery then concrete
Seahorse in 1994: Counted then listedNext essayAll 1000 essays1000