Salmon: Running the Gauntlet

After spending most of their life in the ocean, Pacific salmon return to the fresh-water rivers of their youth in order to spawn.

Our once great runs of salmon are now conceived in laboratories, raised in tanks, driven in trucks, and farmed in pens. An extended preview for "Salmon: Running the Gauntlet" which premieres 5/1/2011.

Hatcheries fail to deliver on their promise of a future full of salmon.

A look at how humans are producing salmon in an effort to protect the species.

An overview of how humans have impacted salmon populations for more than 150 years.

An overview of salmon's journey after being released from the hatcheries into the wild.

A look at efforts to remove dams and restore streams and salmon runs.

A brief look into the life and death of wild salmon in the Pacific Northwest.

An overview of the role of salmon in ecosystems and current efforts to restore salmon nutrients to streams.

A brief look into the life and death of wild salmon in the Pacific Northwest.

A look at extreme measures to protect salmon from predators, as well as efforts to count salmon populations.

NATURE goes beyond the ongoing debate over how to save an endangered species to expose a wildly creative, hopelessly complex and stunningly expensive approach to managing salmon.