NES Profile: Essential Academic Skills Subtest I: Reading (005)

1Well into the nineteenth century, salmon was an abundant resource of the Pacific Northwest.  Native Americans could readily catch millions of fish during a wild salmon run and have no start underline significant end underline impact on the stock. As the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have progressed, commercial fishing, explosive human population growth, overdevelopment, treaties, and climate change in the Pacific Northwest have drastically reduced the number of salmon available for Native Americans to harvest.

2Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest have been harvesting salmon for generations, making it an essential economic and cultural component for tribes in the region. Treaties between various tribes and the federal government were developed to guarantee Native Americans salmon harvesting rights. In fact, Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest now have more tools and resources to protect their way of life and to harvest salmon than ever before. Still, they must work hard to mitigate the onslaught of factors that are contributing to the decline of salmon harvesting.

3Commercial fishing has contributed to overfishing, which has greatly weakened salmon runs. Population growth has had an effect on salmon production because it affects water management and wastewater treatment. Development in the region has resulted in a sharp reduction of plants and soil, a hardening of flood-plain surfaces, and the gutting of natural filtering systems. Deforestation has also stressed the hydrological cycle.

4Climate change is warming the water in the streams of the Pacific Northwest, which affects the temperature-sensitive incubation period for salmon eggs and can interrupt salmon food spanply by affecting other organisms. Rising temperatures have introduced new salmon predators to the region. Precipitation has increased, and there is more flooding. Silt from the increase in landslides scours streambeds and destroys the habitation for salmon nests.

5The tools Native Americans possess to fight climate change are fraught with drawbacks. They can pursue legal action in federal courts, but litigation regarding climate change is new, and tribes would have to clear a high bar to be successful. Tribes would have to show their cases meet specific and often difficult-to-prove conditions. If they lose, they risk setting precedents that could set them back decades in their fight. Treaties allot Native Americans harvesting rights to 50 percent of salmon collected by commercial enterprises during harvesting season, but the treaties do not specify a minimum threshold for how many fish should be collected. This complicates efforts through the federal courts to combat salmon depletion.

6Tribes are working with scientists to overcome the multitude of problems that commercial fishing, overpopulation, overdevelopment, and climate change are causing in the waters of the Pacific Northwest. They have reintroduced indigenous salmon to the region, but it is unknown whether this will restore salmon populations. Scientists have acknowledged that the area has a long way to go in restoring the salmon essential for the Native American tribes in the region. While fighting the decimation of salmon runs and their way of life, Native American tribes still have more work to do to fight the effects of climate change. They can monitor climate change litigation at the federal level to develop strategies of their own, fight for water rights to protect the salmon, and develop regional initiatives to help lower greenhouse gas emissions.

1Well into the nineteenth century, salmon was an abundant resource of the Pacific Northwest.  Native Americans could readily catch millions of fish during a wild salmon run and have no start underline significant end underline impact on the stock. As the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have progressed, commercial fishing, explosive human population growth, overdevelopment, treaties, and climate change in the Pacific Northwest have drastically reduced the number of salmon available for Native Americans to harvest.

2Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest have been harvesting salmon for generations, making it an essential economic and cultural component for tribes in the region. Treaties between various tribes and the federal government were developed to guarantee Native Americans salmon harvesting rights. In fact, Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest now have more tools and resources to protect their way of life and to harvest salmon than ever before. Still, they must work hard to mitigate the onslaught of factors that are contributing to the decline of salmon harvesting.

3Commercial fishing has contributed to overfishing, which has greatly weakened salmon runs. Population growth has had an effect on salmon production because it affects water management and wastewater treatment. Development in the region has resulted in a sharp reduction of plants and soil, a hardening of flood-plain surfaces, and the gutting of natural filtering systems. Deforestation has also stressed the hydrological cycle.

4Climate change is warming the water in the streams of the Pacific Northwest, which affects the temperature-sensitive incubation period for salmon eggs and can interrupt salmon food spanply by affecting other organisms. Rising temperatures have introduced new salmon predators to the region. Precipitation has increased, and there is more flooding. Silt from the increase in landslides scours streambeds and destroys the habitation for salmon nests.

5The tools Native Americans possess to fight climate change are fraught with drawbacks. They can pursue legal action in federal courts, but litigation regarding climate change is new, and tribes would have to clear a high bar to be successful. Tribes would have to show their cases meet specific and often difficult-to-prove conditions. If they lose, they risk setting precedents that could set them back decades in their fight. Treaties allot Native Americans harvesting rights to 50 percent of salmon collected by commercial enterprises during harvesting season, but the treaties do not specify a minimum threshold for how many fish should be collected. This complicates efforts through the federal courts to combat salmon depletion.

6Tribes are working with scientists to overcome the multitude of problems that commercial fishing, overpopulation, overdevelopment, and climate change are causing in the waters of the Pacific Northwest. They have reintroduced indigenous salmon to the region, but it is unknown whether this will restore salmon populations. Scientists have acknowledged that the area has a long way to go in restoring the salmon essential for the Native American tribes in the region. While fighting the decimation of salmon runs and their way of life, Native American tribes still have more work to do to fight the effects of climate change. They can monitor climate change litigation at the federal level to develop strategies of their own, fight for water rights to protect the salmon, and develop regional initiatives to help lower greenhouse gas emissions.

1Well into the nineteenth century, salmon was an abundant resource of the Pacific Northwest.  Native Americans could readily catch millions of fish during a wild salmon run and have no start underline significant end underline impact on the stock. As the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have progressed, commercial fishing, explosive human population growth, overdevelopment, treaties, and climate change in the Pacific Northwest have drastically reduced the number of salmon available for Native Americans to harvest.

2Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest have been harvesting salmon for generations, making it an essential economic and cultural component for tribes in the region. Treaties between various tribes and the federal government were developed to guarantee Native Americans salmon harvesting rights. In fact, Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest now have more tools and resources to protect their way of life and to harvest salmon than ever before. Still, they must work hard to mitigate the onslaught of factors that are contributing to the decline of salmon harvesting.

3Commercial fishing has contributed to overfishing, which has greatly weakened salmon runs. Population growth has had an effect on salmon production because it affects water management and wastewater treatment. Development in the region has resulted in a sharp reduction of plants and soil, a hardening of flood-plain surfaces, and the gutting of natural filtering systems. Deforestation has also stressed the hydrological cycle.

4Climate change is warming the water in the streams of the Pacific Northwest, which affects the temperature-sensitive incubation period for salmon eggs and can interrupt salmon food spanply by affecting other organisms. Rising temperatures have introduced new salmon predators to the region. Precipitation has increased, and there is more flooding. Silt from the increase in landslides scours streambeds and destroys the habitation for salmon nests.

5The tools Native Americans possess to fight climate change are fraught with drawbacks. They can pursue legal action in federal courts, but litigation regarding climate change is new, and tribes would have to clear a high bar to be successful. Tribes would have to show their cases meet specific and often difficult-to-prove conditions. If they lose, they risk setting precedents that could set them back decades in their fight. Treaties allot Native Americans harvesting rights to 50 percent of salmon collected by commercial enterprises during harvesting season, but the treaties do not specify a minimum threshold for how many fish should be collected. This complicates efforts through the federal courts to combat salmon depletion.

6Tribes are working with scientists to overcome the multitude of problems that commercial fishing, overpopulation, overdevelopment, and climate change are causing in the waters of the Pacific Northwest. They have reintroduced indigenous salmon to the region, but it is unknown whether this will restore salmon populations. Scientists have acknowledged that the area has a long way to go in restoring the salmon essential for the Native American tribes in the region. While fighting the decimation of salmon runs and their way of life, Native American tribes still have more work to do to fight the effects of climate change. They can monitor climate change litigation at the federal level to develop strategies of their own, fight for water rights to protect the salmon, and develop regional initiatives to help lower greenhouse gas emissions.

1Well into the nineteenth century, salmon was an abundant resource of the Pacific Northwest.  Native Americans could readily catch millions of fish during a wild salmon run and have no start underline significant end underline impact on the stock. As the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have progressed, commercial fishing, explosive human population growth, overdevelopment, treaties, and climate change in the Pacific Northwest have drastically reduced the number of salmon available for Native Americans to harvest.

2Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest have been harvesting salmon for generations, making it an essential economic and cultural component for tribes in the region. Treaties between various tribes and the federal government were developed to guarantee Native Americans salmon harvesting rights. In fact, Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest now have more tools and resources to protect their way of life and to harvest salmon than ever before. Still, they must work hard to mitigate the onslaught of factors that are contributing to the decline of salmon harvesting.

3Commercial fishing has contributed to overfishing, which has greatly weakened salmon runs. Population growth has had an effect on salmon production because it affects water management and wastewater treatment. Development in the region has resulted in a sharp reduction of plants and soil, a hardening of flood-plain surfaces, and the gutting of natural filtering systems. Deforestation has also stressed the hydrological cycle.

4Climate change is warming the water in the streams of the Pacific Northwest, which affects the temperature-sensitive incubation period for salmon eggs and can interrupt salmon food spanply by affecting other organisms. Rising temperatures have introduced new salmon predators to the region. Precipitation has increased, and there is more flooding. Silt from the increase in landslides scours streambeds and destroys the habitation for salmon nests.

5The tools Native Americans possess to fight climate change are fraught with drawbacks. They can pursue legal action in federal courts, but litigation regarding climate change is new, and tribes would have to clear a high bar to be successful. Tribes would have to show their cases meet specific and often difficult-to-prove conditions. If they lose, they risk setting precedents that could set them back decades in their fight. Treaties allot Native Americans harvesting rights to 50 percent of salmon collected by commercial enterprises during harvesting season, but the treaties do not specify a minimum threshold for how many fish should be collected. This complicates efforts through the federal courts to combat salmon depletion.

6Tribes are working with scientists to overcome the multitude of problems that commercial fishing, overpopulation, overdevelopment, and climate change are causing in the waters of the Pacific Northwest. They have reintroduced indigenous salmon to the region, but it is unknown whether this will restore salmon populations. Scientists have acknowledged that the area has a long way to go in restoring the salmon essential for the Native American tribes in the region. While fighting the decimation of salmon runs and their way of life, Native American tribes still have more work to do to fight the effects of climate change. They can monitor climate change litigation at the federal level to develop strategies of their own, fight for water rights to protect the salmon, and develop regional initiatives to help lower greenhouse gas emissions.