Pacific Northwest Salmon and the Marine-Land Nutrient Exchange: Ecosystem Enrichment and Metabolic Rifts

• In Event: 254 - Section on Environment and Technology Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 04. Protein Production

Abstract

This paper offers a metabolic analysis of socio-ecological relationships and changes associated with Pacific Northwest Salmon. We extend metabolic analysis, in order to examine the intersections between marine and terrestrial ecosystems. We present how salmon, given their remarkable life cycle, transfer marine nutrients and energy to terrestrial ecosystems. As a result, salmon migration has historically played an important role in enriching riparian environments. We assess how the commodification of salmon and their ecosystems, through the construction of dams and commercial harvest, diminished fish populations, creating a metabolic rift in ecological systems, particularly the nutrient cycle.

Authors

• Rebecca J. Clausen, Fort Lewis College

• Brett Clark, University of Utah

• Stefano B. Longo, North Carolina State University