A Review of Salmon Without Rivers by Jessica Yip
Rating: 4 Stars (Good)
Salmon Without Rivers described the geological history of the Northwest, the indigenous cultures and the explosion of the industrial economy by the Europeans. He describes how, in the 1920's, all woody debris was eliminated from the rivers to increase fish production. I think that this book would be better if the author did not focus too much on personal experience like when did he have the idea about something, or where did he go for the meeting. If that is not really related to the book I think should not be included because sometimes it really confusing me about is that the fact or just his personal ideas. The book gave a really detailed information about the history on salmon starting from the Indian though to today how the salmon and people are affecting each other. But generally the book is rating in 4.5 stars.
Submitted on 2:43 PM on 12/4/03
A Review of Salmon Without Rivers by Mark Jenkins
Rating: 3 Stars (OK)
The book Salmon without Rivers was a good book in several different aspects from the start it takes you back to a time and place of the first salmon that were discovered with their fossil remains. This is good because people need to know how the salmon came about but unfortunately finding fossils of salmon is rare so it is difficult to understand how they came about. Then the book talks about humans and their interference of the fish and how the white men (early settlers) didn’t care like the native people and believed that the fish would last forever.
Most of the book is about how people interfere with the natural lives of the salmon. This book take you into great detail about the northwest history and impact of salmon—From the logging aspects, dams, farming, early settlers and the conflicts that arose economically with the fish until the native fish almost came extinct and what ways we tried to make things better with fish hatcheries—but that was incorrect also. I believe that all this is important to learn but the book doesn’t really give mush in the way of how to solve these problems. I really think that the author is trying to give you the knowledge and leave it up to you to figure it out because after all we are all in this together.
Submitted on 9:05 PM on 12/1/03
A Review of Salmon Without Rivers by Missy Lacy
Rating: 4 Stars (Good)
Reading “Salmon Without Rivers” provided me a surprisingly comprehensive history of salmon and their role in the Pacific Northwest. Starting from a geologic vantage point was a logical approach. I was impressed with the detailed chronology and elaborative cultural perspectives the book contained. Lichatowich took great care to include the evolution of not only salmon, but also human encroachment and economic history. This allows him to connect the two, illustrating quite effectively our impact. The author took me on a journey through time, but then dropped me off at the bus station. My last impression was discontent. I feel it would have been well worth the extra few pages to encourage the reader to take that newly acquired wealth of information and mobilize. Instead, it just stopped.
Submitted on 7:13 PM on 12/1/03
A Review of Salmon Without Rivers by Andrea Selix
Rating: 5 Stars (Excellent)
At first I was weary of this book, but after I got into it I really enjoyed reading it, mostly because it's about our part of the world and an animal that is basically the symbol of the Northwest. Jim Lichatowich, a fisheries biologist for over thirty years starts out this book giving us a history of the salmon, or rather its journey up to its present situation. Lichatowich shows us that there is not just one main reason why the salmon have had such a huge downfall, but many such as: overfishing, habitat destruction, deforestation, and poor stream management. And that it's not just the salmon that are being destroyed, it's a larger-scaled ecosystem that is being disrupted. Lichatowich also describes how many attempts at restoration have failed such as hatcheries, and how some rivers have unsuccessfully have been deemed sanctuaries. He argues that without healthy rivers the salmon population will keep decreasing. This book stayed true to its title, it showed us how the salmon got from point A to point B. Lichatowich concludes his book by discussing how the only way to be successful in the restoration of salmon is restructuring the economy of our region and finding a balance between industrial economy and natural economy. This book really opened my eyes, and showed me that the problem is much more serious than anyone is really letting on. As a person that comes from an "average american family" that consistantly consumes it really has changed the ways that my family and myself live, with a new awareness for the world around us.
Submitted on 2:24 PM on 12/1/03
A Review of Salmon Without Rivers by Beth Carpenter
Rating: 4 Stars (Good)
Salmon Without Rivers is a great book of historical facts. It includes many issues like; original salmon locations/populations, “Economy over Environment” issues, and the ineffectiveness of large decision making commissions/agencies. However, with all his good background information the book does not propose any solutions nor investigates today’s coastal human communities as they relate to the salmon and/or habitat.
Submitted on 1:50 PM on 12/1/03
A Review of Salmon Without Rivers by Andrew P. D. G. Everett
Rating: 5 Stars (Excellent)
Salmon Without Rivers is a startling look at the origins and evolution of the issues and current crisis that face the salmon of the Pacific Northwest. The author, Jim Lichatowich who is a fisheries biologist, describes the many factors that have helped cause the salmon’s decline. He goes in to great detail on the issues presented, to include the failure of restoration efforts that have relied on hatcheries in an attempt to return stocks of salmon to their original levels.
Salmon Without Rivers is unique, for it explains rather lucidly the choices that the people of the Pacific Northwest must face and details an exceedingly heart-rending portion of the environmental history of the United States. This book lives up to its title, it is a history, thus describes with great specifies the many things wrong with the relationship between people and salmon. On the other hand, as it lives up to its billing as a history, the reader is left feeling emasculated occasionally because the author describes many tragic things, though no solution to those problems.
Salmon Without Rivers is a book worth reading, for once read it leaves the reader transformed in the way in which he looks at the Pacific Northwest, as it has me.
Submitted on 8:23 AM on 12/1/03
A Review of Salmon Without Rivers by Ming Qin
Rating: 5 Stars (Excellent)
In “Salmon Without Rivers” this book, the author Jim Lichatowich used lots of details and facts gives people a high vision of pacific salmon’s history, development, and present condition; meanwhile, he also shows people how industrial economy effected to natural economy and pacific salmon’s live. From this book, I realized that the over harvest, degradation habitat, some urban and industrial developments (mining, dams, etc) caused salmon’s decline. To know the cause of salmon’s decline can help us rethinking our actions today and find out the way to save an important natural source in society economy. Although the author didn’t show readers the effective way to make salmon’s recovery, people can understand morn meaning about salmon economy in our society by throughout it. Jim brings us important information: to save our salmon is relate on everybody, and we are not only pay attention on salmon, but in the completely natural economy system.
Submitted on 6:46 PM on 11/30/03
A Review of Salmon Without Rivers by Brendan McElroy
Rating: 5 Stars (Excellent)
I found Jim Lichatowich’s book “Salmon Without Rivers,” to be very informative in its coverage of a broad range of topics while still providing the reader with an in-depth understanding of salmon and their interactions with humans and the environment. It outlines the salmon’s origins in their emergence from ancient lakes into becoming a highly diverse and adapted group of anadromous fish. It contrasts the balanced and highly developed salmon based economies of Indigenous cultures which allowed the salmon to thrive, with that of modern western culture in which the salmon which exploits salmon and their environment threatening their survival. The book chronicles the history of many developments relating to the species such as, that of the canning industry which after a humble start quickly began consuming large annual harvests, or the birth of American hatcheries, with their hope of providing a sustainable solution for the fishing industries annual catch. “Salmon Without Rivers,” outlines the many ways that humans have brought the salmon to the brink of extinction, showing us that we cannot continue in the present direction and that only a significant effort by the majority of the Northwest’s population and governmental regulations can bring about a chance for their recovery.
Submitted on 12:04 PM on 11/30/03
A Review of Salmon Without Rivers by Mel Soares
Rating: 4 Stars (Good)
"Salmon Without Rivers: A History of the Pacific Salmon Crisis," by Jim Lichatowich, lives up to its name. The author effectively portrays the resiliency of Pacific Salmon as they survived the ice age events of ancient times and the detriment of modern-day human settlement. I was fascinated by Lichatowich's description of the sustainable salmon economy created by Native Americans. He also describes, in great detail, the effects of industrialization (logging, mining, dam building, etc.) on salmon habitat as well as legislative and scientific attempts to restore salmon populations. The only topic missing from this book is one pertaining to lessons learned -- What can we do, based on the history of Pacific Salmon, to ensure the survival of the species?
Submitted on 1:03 PM on 11/28/03
A Review of Salmon Without Rivers by Andy Gault
Rating: 5 Stars (Excellent)
Salmon Without Rivers, by Jim Lichatowich, provided for me a very interesting and informative view into the salmon world and their struggle for survival through the ages. I am a student with limited background in Geology, so to me, the author did a very good job of describing some fascinating geological events that salmon have survived, which I thought served well to set the stage for events that salmon would face in the future as they eventually came into contact with the human race. He gives a very thorough account of the plight of the salmon stemming from the destruction of their habitat due to rapid expansion of industry and agriculture, as well as failures of government to enforce policies intended to protect their diminishing numbers. The book is well written, and at times I could well sense the author's frustration with our tendency as humans to allow special interests to dictate the inefficient fate of our natural resources. I give the book a rating of five stars.
Submitted on 8:11 AM on 11/25/03
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