The Great Salmon Hoax

An Eyewitness Account of the Collapse of Science and Law and the Triumph of Politics in Salmon Recovery

by James L. Buchal

 

 

"Must reading for anyone who wants to hear both sides of the Columbia River salmon controversy." Charles F. Luce, former Administrator, Bonneville Power Administration

"This is the best book about declining runs of wild salmonids on West Coast."  Salmon Trout Steelheader, June-July 1998.

"If you vote, if you donate to causes, if you fish, if you care, read The Great Salmon Hoax.  It will rock your convictions. . ."  The Reel News, September 1999

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Fishery agency mismanagement, coupled with natural trends working against salmon, has brought Northwest salmon runs to historic lows. Charged by law to protect salmon, yet promote salmon harvest, fishery agencies do not even count how many Columbia Basin salmon are caught and killed for consumption, or measure the cost-effectiveness of salmon hatcheries.

 The most basic biological facts about salmon are politicized, as fishery officials misrepresent the effects of dams on salmon to extract federal funding from the Bonneville Power Administration. The result? A $3 billion program focused on fine-tuning fish passage at mainstem Columbia and Snake River dams that fails to recover salmon, because there is no evidence that those dams are a limiting factor in salmon recovery

Packed with hundreds of specific citations to the most recent scientific papers and reports, The Great Salmon Hoax is a valuable resource for anyone wanting to understand how salmon recovery efforts have gone awry, and how we can craft a rational, scientific program for salmon recovery that will bring significant numbers of salmon back to the Pacific Northwest.

The author spent six years researching salmon science and law while representing economic interests in salmon lawsuits. He presents an insider's account of the conflict that has raged since several "distinct population segments" of salmon were listed as endangered species.

To order your copy, send $17.95 (includes $3.00 for Priority Mail shipping) to:

 The Great Salmon Hoax, Iconoclast Publishing Co., P.O. Box 677, Aurora, OR 97002-0677

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Full Online Edition of The Great Salmon Hoax

All materials © James Buchal 1997, 1998.

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