Salmon
Forum
Content Guide
You will be asked to assume the role of someone related to the salmon issue. (i.e.
fisherfolk, logger, farmer, aluminum plant manager, fish and wild life worker, etc…) Your task is to examine the salmon problem from
this point of view. There are 6 key areas you will need to investigate:
1.
History and basis
for interest
How does the salmon problem relate to you? What history do you have with this issue?
2.
Describe the effect
of your actions.
Have your actions contributed to the salmon problem? Which part of the salmon life cycle
do you come in contact with? (i.e. Do you fish for mature salmon? Do your cows graze in
salmon bearing streams disturbing salmon redds?)
If you are working to restore salmon runs, what actions are you taking and how successful
have you been?
3.
What can you do to
solve the problem?
Discuss what steps you could take to help save salmon? How will this improve their
environment or help more mature salmon return to spawn? What conditions are required for
healthy salmon runs and how does this relate to your role?
4.
What will be the
cost?
Will saving salmon mean that you will lose income? Will you have to spend money to improve
salmon spawning grounds? These are examples of cost in terms of money. There might be
costs in other ways too. Will you have to make changes to your way of life? Will your
community suffer if people lose jobs or have to move to another part of the country?
5.
What can’t you
do?
Will the effort required to save salmon be too high? Will it cost too much? Does it make
sense to ask farmers to use less water on their crops? There may be some sacrifices you
just can’t make to save the salmon. What are these? How much of the burden should you
be asked to bear? If we stop all salmon fishing, will this action alone save the salmon?
Would this be a fair proposal or is this too much to ask from one of the many groups of
people related to the salmon problem?
6.
Government agencies,
Laws?
You may not have any choice in some of these matters. There may be laws or courts that
will force you to take steps to save the salmon. What laws are in place and which
governmental bodies are in charge of talking care of the salmon and making decisions about
solutions?
Student Signature
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Parent Signature _______________________