For centuries, man has attempted to manipulate salmon and its environments for his own benefit and gain, whether for entertainment or to harvest food. Much as he did in books like Cod and Salt, Mark Kurlansky is upending what we know about a familiar subject. Traveling to such locales as Norway, Japan, and the Kamchatka Peninsula, Kurlansky finds that these fish, uniquely connected to both marine and terrestrial ecology as well as fresh and salt water, are a natural barometer for the health of our entire planet.

"[A] handsomely illustrated work of natural history and environmental advocacy…. Kurlansky sounds an urgent alarm that commands our attention."—Kirkus Reviews