Oregon Sea Grant

Salmon are seen as important culturally and as an indicator of regional ecological health. Media coverage has varied from questions about the amount spent and the results achieved to reports of record runs passing Bonneville Dam. To know the status of salmon and how their situation has changed, comparing past with present is helpful. Too often, however, emphasis has been only on comparing salmon abundance, not the diversity of runs or habitats used by salmon. In this publication, the author looks at the history of salmon abundance—and at how diversity can enhance abundance and habitats important to both salmon and humans.