Throughout history, salmon have been an important component of the temperate rain forest ecosystem of the Pacific Northwest.  They provide food and nutrients to aquatic as well as terrestrial organisms and are tightly linked to overall system stability.  In The Fish in the Forest, readers experience the Pacific salmon life cycle through words and pictures.  Stokes (Scripps Institution of Oceanography) also discusses the role of salmon in nutrient cycling in the watersheds of the Pacific Northwest and the role of salmon as ecological engineers in the systems where they spawn.  Finally, the author discusses the ecological impacts salmon fisheries have had on the nutrient budget and nutrient cycling in the region.  The writing is, for the most part, nontechnical, and the book presents a wide range of facts and information regarding Pacific Northwest salmon.  The information presented would be useful to those interested in the life history of salmon as well as readers interested in ecology and the linkage between aquatic and terrestrial systems.  This title is appropriate for undergraduate students in many disciplines beyond biology and fisheries science. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries.

--K. R. Thompson, Ozarks Technical Community College

Kip R Thompson

Ozarks Technical Community College

http://dx.doi.org/10.5860/CHOICE.185932

Stokes (Scripps Inst. of Oceanography, Univ. of California San Diego) and White (natural history photographer) cover the evolution of fish and the life cycle of salmon and how salmon and predators interrelate. The idea that these fish are in the tops of trees seems impossible, but Stokes builds his argument carefully, explaining that elements of their bodies get there through the creature's status as a keystone species. Orca, sea lions, and man feed on the adult fish in the ocean; bears and wolves feed on salmon on the fish's upstream swim; crows, eagles, and coyotes eat the fish after spawning or consume carcasses left by other predators. Nutrients from salmon are spread by their waste matter as well as by the animals that eat them. This work is not an easy read, however, it clearly explains why salmon are important to the ecology of the Pacific Northwest and why the habitats should be protected to keep the species healthy and prolific. White's beautiful photos are scattered throughout, although only about half of the pages of images have captions. VERDICT Ideal for readers who are concerned with understanding the environment on a deeper level and as a tool with which to inform decision makers. While not as approachable as Peter Coates's Salmon, this title's science is stronger.—Jean E. Crampon, Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, Lib.