The Magnificent Journey.

The annual run of Northwest salmon--from the vast Pacific Ocean to the mountain streams where their lives began--is one of Nature`s most awe-inspiring events. Now that modern science has discovered some of the salmon`s secrets, their journey seems even more miraculous. So unlikely is the survival of a single returning salmon that Nature compensates heavily. Of the other 3,000 to 7,000 eggs in a nest, only one spawning pair, on average, will make it back. Too much or too little water at hatching can wipe out great swarms of young fish life. Bigger fish, bears, seals--all take their share of salmon. Nature allows for these natural events. But Nature alone cannot make up for what people have done. Dams in the Columbia River Basin have blocked huge areas of the wild salmon`s spawning grounds. Roads and towns sprouted up along rivers and streams. Logging and farming practices fouled rivers and creeks. So did pollution from the cities. And it became too easy to catch fish. Salmon runs became smaller and smaller. Some types of salmon disappeared forever. Having nearly destroyed the salmon, people are now coming to their rescue. Still, important runs of Northwest native salmon are in real danger of extinction. Much remains to be done. This brochure presents a close look at the life of a wild salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawystcha