Running Silver: Restoring Atlantic Rivers and their Great Fish Migrations

Abstract

49 Anadromous salmon in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans are iconic species that have been the subjects of numerous natural science texts that narratively describe their common plight. Among my favorites is Bruce Brown’s Mountain in the Clouds: A Search for Wild Salmon. Reading this book is one reason that I became passionate about wild salmon conservation. However, there has been a gap in this narrative for the eastern United States, where Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar is only part of a mosaic of ocean-going species. Running Silver is an intriguing read that fills this void. The book weaves the story of the plight of Northwest Atlantic diadromous fish with source material as varied as Thoreau and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission management actions. Despite the diverse sources, this narrative achieves the author’s goal of explaining the demise of this complex of species while trying to restore biological and cultural awareness of what has been lost ... and could be restored. John Waldman’s passion and dedication to the sea run fish community (both the fish and the people) is apparent in each of the book’s 20 relatively short 10-20 page chapters. Although they are woven together into a compelling story, most of the chapters are largely independent, allowing easy reading in small doses. The text transitions between number heavy text needed to explain harsh facts of lost abundance and hectares of concrete that block Atlantic Ocean rivers to very personal narrative observations of fish and river systems. I particularly appreciated the frequent conversational text where Waldman related discussions and observations of river keepers, managers, and scientists. The reader feels as if they are at the table or the river’s edge. The first four chapters set the stage and describe the fish species and river systems of the Atlantic realm. Chapter 3, The Seasonal Parade, was a favorite. Waldman uses the annual sequence of migration to introduce the reader to both the primary diadromous species and some that may be better characterized as euryhaline wanderers. This chapter was concise yet nuanced in its description of diversity within and among diadromous fish in their ecology and habitat use. And who knew there were anadromous whitefish! Running Silver: Restoring Atlantic Rivers and their Great Fish Migrations BOOK REVIEW