Why throw the marinade away?

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I marinade my salmon

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Before GrammerKnotsi shows up, this is bugging the hell out of me.

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A marinade is sauce in which food is soaked before cooking.

To marinate is the corresponding verb. It means to soak food in a marinade.

(Unfortunately, this distinction is blurring. The verb to marinade now features in many dictionaries.)

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On topic, I never do that.

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Does anyone cook their marinade down into a sauce after cooking the protein

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typical marinades contain higher levels of salt, acid, and sugar. "cooking down" or reducing the liquid content of the marinade might result in a overly salty, acidic, or sweet sauce. Another reason why you should discard the marinade after marinating protein is; the exchange of inorganic acids, enzymes, polyphenols, and other organic matter that transfer into the marinade as a result of osmotic processes at the cellular level. Heat causes these compounds to precipitate and form texturally unappealing 'slimes' in the cooked marinade. try heating the marinade the next time you marinate your salmon to see this first hand.

I've actually done that before, but the flavor is usually pretty over intense. Better to just start with a new sauce in my experience