Salmon also became a staple in the American diet during the Great Depression, mainly because it was so cheap compared to other sources of animal protein. As Mar

Salmon also became a staple in the American diet during the Great Depression, mainly because it was so cheap compared to other sources of animal protein. As Marc Reisner wrote in Cadillac Desert: "People who came through the Depression didn’t just eat salmon, they survived on it, and they were sick of it; it was known as poverty steak, because it sold for ten cents a pound.”