The Behavior and Ecology of Pacific Salmon and Trout explains the patterns of mate choice, the competition for nest sites, and the fate of the salmon after their death. It describes the lives of offspring during the months they spend incubating in gravel, growing in fresh water, and migrating out to sea to mature. This thorough, up-to-date survey should be on the shelf of everyone with a professional or personal interest in Pacific salmon and trout. Written in a technically accurate but engaging style, it will appeal to a wide range of readers, including students, anglers, biologists, conservationists, legislators, and armchair naturalists.

Few subjects have generated as much emotional dialogue around conflicting scientific and policy agendas as the protection and management of Pacific salmon resources. In this major new work, esteemed fisheries expert Thomas Quinn distills from the vast scientific literature the essential information on the behavior and ecology of Pacific salmon, including steelhead and cutthroat trout. Unlike other books that examine only selected life stages, habitats, or species, this book--richly illustrated with beautiful photographs and original drawings--thoroughly covers the complete life cycle, emphasizing common themes and differences among the various species of salmon. Representing the range of species and geographic regions, Quinn includes examples from classic studies by pioneers of salmon biology and from the most current research to illustrate the important features of salmon life history and behavior and the complex physical, biological, and human factors that affect them. The Behavior and Ecology of Pacific Salmon and Trout introduces salmon and trout as a group, with a brief description of each species, and compares them to other fishes. The book then follows salmon on their amazing homeward migration from the open ocean, through the complex coastal waters, and upstream to the precise location where they were spawned years earlier. It explains the patterns of mate choice, the competition for nest sites, and the fate of the salmon after their death. It describes the lives of offspring during the months they spend incubating in gravel, growing in fresh water, and migrating out to sea to mature. Quinn emphasizes the importance of salmon to humans and to natural ecosystems and the need to integrate sound biology into conservation efforts. This thorough, up-to-date survey should be on the shelf of anyone with a professional or personal interest in Pacific salmon and trout. Written in a technically accurate but engaging style, it will appeal to a wide range of readers, including students, anglers, biologists, conservationists, legislators, and armchair naturalists.

WINNER OF THE JOHN AVERY AWARD AT THE ANDRÉ SIMON AWARDS If we can save the salmon, we can save the world Over the centuries, salmon have been a vital resource, a dietary staple and an irresistible catch. But there is so much more to this extraordinary fish. As international bestseller Mark Kurlansky reveals, salmon persist as a barometer for the health of our planet. Centuries of our greatest assaults on nature can be seen in their harrowing yet awe-inspiring life cycle. Full of all Kurlansky’s characteristic curiosity and insight, Salmon is a magisterial history of a wondrous creature. ‘An epic, environmental tragedy’ Spectator ‘These creatures have nurtured our imagination as surely as our bodies. This book does them justice!’ Bill McKibben

The Brown trout displays widely divergent life history strategies involving, variously, usage of streams, rivers, lakes, estuaries and the sea. The sea trout is the full sea-going form, it is very common and competes with salmon for the position of the most sought after migratory salmonid in many countries. Its use of freshwater, estuaries and coastal waters gives it a unique position as a sentinel species of environmental quality across these habitats. Although a commercially and recreationally important fish species, the management and scientific knowledge about sea trout has often been overshadowed by a focus on the salmon. However the First International Symposium for the Biology, Management and Conservation of Sea Trout sought to address this when a group of world class experts convened to share their research and form the basis for this impressive volume, covering: Stocks and fisheries Genetics and life history Ecology and population dynamics Management of stocks and world fisheries Fisheries scientists and managers, fish biologists, aquatic biologists, ecologists, members of fish and wildlife agencies, government departments and libraries in universities and research establishments where fish and fisheries are studied and taught will find this book a fascinating exploration of the species and a valuable reference tool.

This book examines ways of conserving, managing, and interacting with plant and animal resources by Native American cultural groups of the Pacific Coast of North America, from Alaska to California. These practices helped them maintain and restore ecological balance for thousands of years. Building upon the authors’ and others’ previous works, the book brings in perspectives from ethnography and marine evolutionary ecology. The core of the book consists of Native American testimony: myths, tales, speeches, and other texts, which are treated from an ecological viewpoint. The focus on animals and in-depth research on stories, especially early recordings of texts, set this book apart. The book is divided into two parts, covering the Northwest Coast, and California. It then follows the division in lifestyle between groups dependent largely on fish and largely on seed crops. It discusses how the survival of these cultures functions in the contemporary world, as First Nations demand recognition and restoration of their ancestral rights and resource management practices.

A global assessment of the current state of freshwater fish biodiversity and the opportunities and challenges to conservation.