Research Paper on:
Making Salmon by Joseph E. Taylor III

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
mans blatant disregard for its finite existence. A crystal clear way of understanding this damaging cycle is in Joseph E. Taylor, IIIs Making Salmon: An Environmental History of the  Northwest Fisheries Crisis, which chronicles the detrimental impact man has had upon the salmon population in particular, as well as the overall environment of the Pacific Northwest fishing industry in  general. Indeed, ancient man was expected to survive by means of hunting, fishing and gathering, however, it was the manner by which he exploited the salmon supply that initially catapulted  the Pacific Northwest fish industry into the dire situation that still exists today. From over fishing to environmental pollution to clear-cutting tree supplies, Taylor (2001) clearly illustrates how the  extent to which man has irreversibly impeded upon any hope for a solid salmon population is both grand and far-reaching. "Salmons importance as a staple was unmistakable, and it  has become a key factor in population estimates. Ecologists use the term carrying capacity to describe the upper population limit an environment can sustain. In the Oregon country  salmon seem to be the crucial factor determining human carrying capacity" (Taylor, 2001, pp. 17-18). One of the important scientific principles presented in the book is that of the  overall environmental degradation the entire series of events - from the Native Americans up through contemporary times - has caused the salmon population. For example, clear-cutting or deforestation removes  precious cover from the waters below, causing an increase in temperature and making it extremely difficult for the salmon to survive. Together with the need for soil erosion control  due mainly to mans degrading activities upon the land, Taylor (2001) pinpoints and expounds upon some of the most crucial aspects of why the salmon problem is forever perpetuated.