“Pacific Northwest salmon, commodification, and the marine nutrient-land exchange” – Brett Clark, U of Utah, Sociology

February 14, 2017, 4:00 pm, 210 ASB

Abstract: Salmon historically have transferred marine nutrients and energy to terrestrial ecosystems. A turning point in this marine-land exchange was the commodification of salmon and the construction of dams, as the economic-productive system became more disembedded from social relations that helped regulate this process. I will assess these historical changes, highlighting the metabolic rift in this nutrient cycle and the various contradictions that have arisen.