Across the migratory life‐cycle of Pacific salmon, they are exposed to many different risks and harms from various human activities. There is usually no smoking gun, it is a death by a thousand cuts, it is a world of cumulative effects. This session brought together thought leaders and experts on this wicked problem of cumulative effects. Talks included new scientific approaches and decision‐support tools, holistic Indigenous‐led approaches such as IPCA and Salmon Parks, and paths forward for system transformation.