For thousands of years, salmon have played an integral role of the ecosystem in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. In the 1700s, the settling of human�s in the region had a tremendous impact on the native fisheries. Since that time, salmon have been affected by a growing population and economy in the Pacific Northwest. At that time, Europeans had begun to occupy land along the Columbia River, imposing their culture on the natives of that land. By the 1800�s, disease brought by the European�s had cleared nearly all of the population, however, the Columbia River�s resources were being exploited to a great degree by the new settlers.
Towards the turn into the 20th century, dams began to affect a process known as salmon runs, where salmon swim back up into the rivers in which they were born and spawn themselves. Furthermore, hydroelectric and flood-control projects reduced the available salmon in the region to half. In addition to these factors, grazing,......
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Approximate Word Count: 1658
Approximate Pages: 7 (260 words per double-spaced page) |