Set window back color, show msg, and OK button. Photograph by Jennifer Adleman. Salmon in the Pacific Northwest carry tremendous value. They are ageless cultural symbols of many Native American tribes, and they are incredibly important to the local economy. But salmon are facing a perilous journey that rivals the most dangerous swim upstream.
Many salmon face extinction in the wild.
Overharvesting, habitat fragmentation and decline, and the blocking of migration routes by dams are a few of the factors contributing to the salmon's demise. But a new plan proposes to reverse the salmon's swim toward extinction. Targeted species include the Chinook, chum, coho, and sock-eye. The results of years of scientific research on the biology, ecology, and reproductive health of different populations of salmon went into the new recovery plan. Researchers plan to improve fish habitat by removing barriers within streams, improving water quality, and stream flow.