This book is about the Atlantic salmon. Some might question whether the salmon is worthy of a whole book of this type. In our view, the fish is worthy study for a great many reasons. As king of fishes, it has a long and colorful history. The salmon helped opened up North America to settlement as it provided food and was a major source of trade in early days. It is still sought not only by commercial fishermen, but by a large and devout fraternity of anglers. The salmon is worth studying in its own right as a living with a mysterious and intriguing life story. Years of speculation, study and research has taught us a great deal about the salmon - how it hatches from a small egg in a river, hoe it grows up and migrates to sea and recently the location of its secret feeding grounds in the ocean. But there are many things we do not know for sure, such as how it returns to the precise river where it was born and how, as an adult, it lives in the river fro almost a year without feeding. Perhaps the most important thing about the salmon is its effect on, and relation to, man. The salmon is much more, than just a fish. It is very delicate creature and its presence in our rivers and oceans is an indication that our environment is a healthy place in which to live. Its decline and disappearance would indicate serious problems possibly affecting the survival of man himself. - from Amzon