When President Barack Obama made a joke about salmon regulation in his State of the Union address, he generated laughter and applause from Congress and sent an unusual buzz across the nation. The reaction may have surprised some, but not those of us who are part of the West Coast's salmon economy. This extraordinary fish touches many people in many ways -- as a delicious food, a satisfying livelihood, a wonder of nature.
Even among animals that migrate, salmon are astonishing. They travel between worlds -- as the president wryly noted -- in both fresh and saltwater. They swim thousands of miles, face countless perils and somehow manage to find their way home to the very gravel beds where they were hatched so they may spawn and die themselves.
Read more over at the Oregonian.
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