The Lost Salmon

Of all the Pacific Salmon, the spring run of chinook is the most revered. As the first salmon to arrive home annually, they have been the sacrament and cornerstone for the oldest civilizations in North America and the keystone of northwest ecosystems. Once occupying the most extensive range in the contiguous United States, many genetically unique populations have already been extirpated and what remains is at risk of extinction.  Filmmaker Shane Anderson set out on a two-year journey across Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho to document some of the last genuinely wild “springers,” the historical and ongoing causes of their declining numbers, and their profound relationship to the people and place.  Along the way, he tells the story of a recent scientific breakthrough that provides crucial new insights into salmon genetics. This could offer a path to help save the king of salmon before they are lost forever.