Pacific Salmon Law and the Environment: Treaties, Endangered Species, Dam Removal, Climate Change, and Beyond (Environmental Law Institute)

The law and policy of salmon protection and restoration are complex, and matters surrounding salmon implicate topics as varied as Indian treaty fishing rights, dam management and removal, international treaties, predator control, and climate change. Pacific Salmon Law and the Environment chronicles the diverse issues concerning salmon allocation, management, and restoration in the 21st century, providing the historical understanding necessary for an accurate perspective of the present-day problems salmon face. The book is a must-read for ecologists, biologists, attorneys, educators, activists, students, and others concerned about the fate of salmon in the Pacific Northwest in the climate-challenged 21st century.

Book Reviews:

“The leading authority on Pacific salmon law has given us this compelling and well-written book, by far the most comprehensive work ever done in the field. Importantly, he warns us that the very future of the Pacific salmon, the true heart of the Pacific Northwest, is at risk. The cause is long-time destruction of salmon habitat beginning with hydroelectric dams and high-yield logging, joined today by relentless climate change. Blumm’s book vividly shows the importance of law in this field and the urgency of further law reform.”
—Charles Wilkinson, Distinguished University Professor, University of Colorado, and author of Crossing the Next Meridian: Land, Water and the Future of the West

“Blumm’s book is a comprehensive, insightful, and timely analysis of how the law has affected the Pacific Northwest’s most iconic natural resource.”
—Sandra B. Zellmer, Professor and Director of Natural Resources Law Clinics, University of Montana School of Law

“With passion and insight, Pacific Salmon Law and the Environment details the complex legal, cultural, and socio-economic struggle over the imperiled keystone species of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. At a deeper level this is also a story of the limitations of the legal system to address one of the most urgent environmental and justice issues of our time.”
—David Moryc, Senior Director, American Rivers

“The definitive account of a legal struggle persisting over 40 years, written by the master scholar who tracked it all as it unfolded, this book holds invaluable insights for the future of the iconic salmon—and for all of environmental law.”
—Mary Christina Wood, Philip H. Knight Professor and Faculty Director, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Center, University of Oregon School of Law

“Professor Michael Blumm’s book is a most welcome reflection on one of the American West’s most iconic and charismatic wildlife species. Pacific salmon have had a checkered history over the past two centuries, and today form the leading edge of an ecological crisis. Professor Blumm ably charts the legal history of salmon—from the time of U.S. treaties with Northwestern Native American tribes to the alarming, steady decline of Pacific salmon populations due to pollution, unwise development practices, and climate change. Pacific Salmon Law and the Environment chronicles the legal system’s erratic efforts to protect and preserve salmon populations, and how the law may still save them from extinction. This book belongs on the shelf of every environmental lawyer, activist, scholar, and nature lover.”
—Richard M. Frank, Professor of Environmental Practice and Director, California Environmental Law & Policy Center, University of California School of Law