Huge Salmon were once much more common up and down the west coast.  However, they were easy to harvest (as they congregate in the river during their spawn and can be caught with nets or weirs) and so many stocks were decimated.  In other rivers, hydroelectric dams destroyed the ability for the salmon to reproduce.<p>The Elwha river in Washington State once had salmon topping 100 lbs!  <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.seattletimes.com&#x2F;seattle-news&#x2F;will-giant-chinook-salmon-return-dam-removal-project-opens-the-door&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.seattletimes.com&#x2F;seattle-news&#x2F;will-giant-chinook-...</a><p>Many of the salmon now spawning in west coast rivers were bred in hatcheries - with significantly different genetics than those wild monsters of yore.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;oregonstate.edu&#x2F;ua&#x2F;ncs&#x2F;archives&#x2F;2011&#x2F;dec&#x2F;hatcheries-change-steelhead-genetics-after-single-generation" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;oregonstate.edu&#x2F;ua&#x2F;ncs&#x2F;archives&#x2F;2011&#x2F;dec&#x2F;hatcheries-c...</a>