Fish Versus Power An Environmental History of the Fraser River

About this book

An environmental history of the Fraser River (British Columbia) and the attempts to dam it for power and to defend it for salmon. Amid contemporary debates over large dam development and declines in fisheries, Fish Versus Power offers a case study of a river basin where development decisions did not ultimately dam the river, but rather conserved its salmon. Although the case is local, its implications are global as Evenden explores the transnational forces that shaped the river, the changing knowledge and practices of science, and the role of environmental change in shaping environmental debate. The Fraser is the world's most productive salmon river; it is also a large river with enormous waterpower potential. Very few rivers in the developed world have remained undammed. On the Fraser, however, fish – not dams – triumphed, and Fish Versus Power seeks to explain why.

Contents

List of tables, figures, photographs and maps
List of abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Introduction

1. 'A rock of disappointment'
2. Damming the tributaries
3. Remaking hells gate
4. Pent-up energy
5. The power of aluminium
6. Fish versus power
7. The politics of science

Conclusion
Bibliography
Index.

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