A Salmon Story: Protecting the Future

A lyrical informational picture book about how open-net pen fish farms impact wild salmon and their ecosystems

Salmon are central to their ecosystem and the lives of many Indigenous Nations, but the rapid rise of open net-pen fish farming has threatened these longstanding connections. Salmon have followed the same migration routes for thousands of years, but the fish farming industry has had a deadly impact on their annual journey. Open-net pen farms release harmful waste into the ocean that is lethal to the wild salmon forced to swim through it. Now, the salmon must battle against the human-made destruction of their habitat, and many Nations are advocating for change and creating calls of action to protect salmon for future generations.

As the young salmon journey from their gravel nests to the open ocean, readers learn about the life cycle of wild salmon, the effects of open-net pen fish farms, and the role of salmon as a keystone species.

Boldly illustrated with gorgeous Northwest Coast formline art, rhythmic poetry combines with supportive nonfiction content to illuminate the struggles faced by wild salmon populations.

WILLIE POLL is a Métis author from the Robinson Huron Treaty Territory and a proud member of the Métis Nation of Ontario. Willie has worked in Indigenous education across the Nation for over ten years. She currently resides on Prince Edward Island as a guest on the traditional lands of the Wabanaki and Mi'kma'ki people.

CHANTELLE TRAINOR-MATTIES is an Indigenous artist with Nisga'a, Métis, and mixed European ancestry, working as an illustrator, graphic designer, painter, and muralist through her independent art practice, Frettchan Studios. She lives in Abbotsford, British Columbia, on the unceded territory of the Sto: lo Peoples.