A Common Fate: Endangered Salmon and the People of the Pacific Northwest
 |
By Joseph Cone
With a new epilogue by the author
1996. 6 x 9 inches. 352 pages. Photographs. Chronology. Index.
ISBN 0-87071-391-4. Paperback, $19.95.
Table of Contents
|
Salmon are the soul of the Pacific Northwest, a cultural cornerstone of the region. Today
the salmon's future is uncertain and has become one of this decade's most closely
watched environmental issues. In his nationally acclaimed book
A Common Fate, science writer Joseph Cone traces the dramatic history of the plight of the Pacific salmon and of the many
Northwest citizens who are fighting passionately against their seemingly imminent extinction.
Beginning with the effects of burgeoning canneries in the late nineteenth century,
Cone reconstructs the factors -- including overfishing, dam building, and habitat loss -- that have caused
the rapid depletion of salmon stocks. He documents not only the decline of a key resource, but also
the growing
awareness of this decline, an awareness that eventually escalates into a national
wake-up call in the 1990s.
The struggle to save the salmon is becoming the most costly and contentious
environmental restoration effort ever undertaken.
A Common Fate depicts this struggle through the actions of a
few representative individuals -- including environmentalists, scientists, politicians, and
industry executives. The portraits go far beyond a monochromatic black and white to show the colors
of people with different points of view and values who wrestle with the ecologic, economic, and
social issues surrounding the crisis.
Cone's masterful telling of this story offers a valuable lesson for all who care not only about
the future of the salmon but about our common environmental fate. For
A Common Fate is ultimately about a crucial moment of choice before us now: will we find the way to keep the world alive
with the diversity of life that sustains us today, or will this living world fall into diminishment,
at incalculable loss to everyone?
A Common Fate was first published in hardcover in 1995 by Henry Holt.
"A dazzling achievement ... Cone is a marvelous writer
with a galvanizing tale to tell."
--The Oregonian
About the Author
Joseph Cone is the co-editor of
The Northwest Salmon Crisis and the author of
Fire Under the Sea, which was named one of the top science books of the year by
Library Journal and
Booklist.
Back to top of page
Secure online ordering form (Orders go to our distributor - The University of Arizona Press). For a complete listing of available books, check out our catalog of books in print.
