“Never been properly introduced to the king before?” He extends an open hand.Īt Seattle’s Pike Place Market, where a ragtag collection of produce, meat, and seafood stalls overlooks the city’s downtown waterfront, crowds gather around comforting displays of food. “What’s the matter?” he asks the crowd, putting his hands on his hips. Upstream is an essential look at the intersection of man, food, and nature.Patrolling the front of his shop in bright orange deck pants, the fishmonger drums up a little impromptu drama for tourists fingering their wallets. Cook offers an absorbing portrait of a remarkable fish and the many obstacles it faces, while taking readers on a fast-paced fishing trip through salmon country. This firsthand account - reminiscent of the work of John McPhee and Mark Kurlansky - is filled with the keen insights and observations of the best narrative writing. In sharing their stories, Cook covers all sides of the debate: the legacy of overfishing and industrial development the conflicts between fishermen, environmentalists, and Native Americans the modern proliferation of fish hatcheries and farms and the longstanding battle lines of science versus politics, wilderness versus civilization. Cook introduces us to tribal fishermen handing down an age-old tradition, sport anglers seeking adventure and a renewed connection to the wild, and scientists and activists working tirelessly to restore salmon runs. They are game fish, wildlife spectacle, sacred totem, and inspiration - and their fate is largely in our hands. At stake is nothing less than an ancient livelihood.īut salmon are more than food. Reporting from remote coastlines and busy city streets, he follows today’s commercial pipeline from fisherman’s net to corporate seafood vendor to boutique marketplace. Cook journeys up and down salmon country, from the glacial rivers of Alaska to the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest to California’s drought-stricken Central Valley and a wealth of places in between.
Langdon Cook goes in search of the salmon in Upstream, his timely and in-depth look at how these beloved fish have nourished humankind through the ages and why their destiny is so closely tied to our own.
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