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Reviews
THE FIGHT OF THE SALMON PEOPLE: BLENDING TRIBAL TRADITION WITH MODERN SCIENCE TO SAVE SACRED FISH
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by Douglas W. Dompier
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| Xlibris Corporation, Philadelphia, 2005. Maps, notes, glossary. 351 pages. $32.99 cloth, $22.99 paper. |
| Among fish biologists and other experts, the sorry state of Columbia River salmon runs is generally attributed to the "4-hs" of the anadromous apocalypse: hydropower, habitat [loss], harvest, and hatcheries. The last of these culprits is the least understood and most controversial among scholars, scientists, and advocates of salmon recovery. While many environmentalists regard hatchery fish as a threat to wild stocks, Northwest Indian tribes and their allies place great faith in a technique called supplementation, which combines habitat restoration with hatchery transplants to rebuild naturally spawning runs. Fish biologist Douglas Dompier spent twenty-six years (1979–2005) developing and overseeing hatchery programs for the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC). In The Fight of the Salmon People, he brings his vast experience and expertise to bear on the history of Columbia River fisheries policy and politics since the early twentieth century. Focusing on the role of hatcheries and the rise of the tribes as resource managers, Dompier contends that the real problem has never been hatcheries per se, but rather their manipulation by state and federal agencies intent on serving themselves and their white constituents at the expense of Indians and salmon. The treaty tribes have proven to be as resilient and resolute as their sacred fish, however, and Dompier believes that the practical marriage of ancient tradition and modern science can put salmon back in the streams. |
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His critique of the current hatchery regime unfolds in five chronological chapters, followed by a call for major reforms in salmon management. Not surprisingly, given his training, the discussion throughout emphasizes the science and policy sides of issues rather than their cultural and historical context. Although each chapter begins with a reference to tribal oral traditions concerning salmon, the book contains relatively little information about Plateau Indian fishing methods, spiritual beliefs, or history. Instead, after a cursory review of the historical and legal background of treaty fishing rights, Dompier dives into a detailed presentation of the factors that produced and perpetuate the dysfunctional fisheries of the present. Starting with the Mitchell Act of 1938, he explains, state and federal agencies looked to hatcheries to offset the damage caused by the construction of dams in the Columbia Basin. Most facilities were built below Bonneville Dam, however, providing salmon for non-Indian sport and commercial fishers while leaving Mid-Columbia Indians with badly depleted runs and the burden of conservation. Only court victories in the late 1960s and 1970s earned tribes a share of the benefits and a voice in management decisions. Even then, Dompier shows, fishery agencies undercut Indian interests and salmon recovery by focusing hatchery production on stocks valued by sport fishers rather than supporting wild runs of less-favored fish. Legislative attempts to de-commercialize steelhead ultimately failed, but tribal efforts to expand and reprogram upriver hatcheries still face daunting political obstacles. |
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Scholars have told much of this story before, among them Joseph Cone in A Common Fate (1996), Joseph Taylor in Making Salmon (1999), and James Lichatowich in Salmon without Rivers (2001). Like Cone and Lichatowich, Dompier brings a valuable insider's perspective to the tangled history of the Northwest salmon crisis, and his career at the CRITFC adds an important tribal dimension as well. "As I looked at salmon management through the eyes of the salmon's first caretakers," he writes, "I began to understand the depth and strength of the tribes' culture and their concern for the resource" (p. 127). Some critics may suspect that Dompier's personal investment in the tribal struggle prevents him from identifying mistakes or discussing the internal differences that have occasionally hindered CRITFC's mission. Scholars may also take issue with his problematic tendency to preface arguments with the words "I believe." He does not claim to be a historian, however, and indeed seems to hold "college professors" in disdain. The Fight of the Salmon People, like most books on this subject, is unabashedly polemical and unafraid of urging changes in public policy. Specifically, Dompier advocates the "gravel-to-gravel" management practices spelled out in CRITFC's recovery plan and dismisses the "idealistic dream" of self-sustaining wild runs in a river system transformed by dams (p. 134). "The technology is there to help the salmon," he concludes. "All that is needed is the commitment to use it wisely" (p. 299). |
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Unfortunately, the book's dense material and often dry style may prevent general readers from hearing this important message. Some great personal stories aside, Dompier's prose rarely matches his passion for the subject, and the text is clouded in places by typographical errors and technical jargon. A glossary helps lay readers navigate those sections, but the lack of an index will frustrate those attempting to reference specific topics. Still, The Fight of the Salmon People is a useful contribution to the historical literature, and specialists in fisheries management would do well to heed its urgent plea for reform. |
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| Andrew H. Fisher
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| The College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia |
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