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Book Review Title

Atlas of Pacific Salmon by Xanthippe Augerot Who must have this book: Anyone who is researching Salmon in the North Pacific. Who should have this book: Anyone with interest in salmon, their ranges, and their futures. ISBN: 0520245040

I was given a free gift card and decided to treat myself to a book that I probably wouldn’t have ordinarily bought. I decided to get a salmon reference book with some substance and I was very happy with what I got.

This book is one of the best illustrated and laid out books I have ever seen. It makes a great coffee table book that people can pick up and enjoy as well as a reference that I have gone back to time and time again. The range maps are the most detailed I have ever seen, thanks to some thorough research and use of GIS. The text is very accessible to a lay person, but the distribution information is complete enough to be useful to scientists and policy makers.

If you are looking for a well designed introduction to Pacific Salmon natural history, look no further, this is it. Every aspect of Salmon are covered in this volume. If you are a researcher this will make a decent reference. It is well researched and 14% of the book is spent on citing sources.

Overview

The book is split into six major sections; The Fish, The People, The Place, Distribution and Risk of Extinction, Threats to Biodivirsity, and the Migration Ahead. The Fish section goes over the basics of salmon phylogeny and life cycles. The People section goes over the people who have historically utilized the salmon resource. The Place section tells the history and needs of salmon habitat in the North Pacific. The Distribution section discusses the distribution and risks to each species. The Threats to Biodiversity section talks about the overall threats to salmonids in general. The last section about the Migration Ahead goes into the future of the fish.

The book in general is pointed at the threats to salmon. It is sad that we have known about these risks and how to fix them, yet fishery by fishery the salmon is being destroyed. If you have interest in the future of the salmon in the North Pacific, you should get this book!