The Salmon People returns

The Salmon People captures the special relationship between British Columbia's original West Coast inhabitants and the Pacific salmon that provided their livelihood and moulded much of their culture. For these people, as for early settlers and European and Asian immigrants, the salmon were of more enduring significance than the promise of furs and the lure of gold. The dramatic interactions of the eventual polyglot of "salmon people" involved in harvesting and processing this once abundant natural resource, defined much of British Columbia's– and thus Canada's– cultural, economic, and environmental history.

McKervill's sensitive treatment of the individual and cultural groups who inhabit his stories is as remarkable as his forthright dealing with the ethical issues that they faced. While honouring the lives of some the coast's most colourful characters, many of his stories reveal the salmon industry's leading role in a number of Canada's ugliest racial and ecological tragedies. Entertaining and informative, this new and expanded edition is an exciting rediscovery of a rare find. First published in 1967,  

The Salmon People has now been revised and updated with two all-new chapters dealing with the state of Pacific salmon fishing today, including the impact of industrial farming of Atlantic salmon in Pacific tidal water, and the rise of modern sport fishing. The Salmon People is a timely warning that the mistakes of the past are coming home to haunt us today.