The Unnatural History of the Sea |
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The Unnatural History of the Sea
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by Callum Roberts
Sales Rank: 64279
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List Price: $28.00
$18.48
At Amazon
on 6-21-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Hard Cover with 456 pages
Published by: Island PressEdition: 1st Edition July 30, 2007
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 1597261025
ISBN 13 Number: 978-1597261029
Book Dimensions:
9.1 x 6 x 1.5 inches
Weighs: 1.7 pounds
From Publishers Weekly
Marine conservation biologist Roberts presents a devastating account of the effects of fishing on the sea. Once abundant aquatic life has declined to the point where we probably have less than five percent of the total mass of fish that once swam in Europe's seas, he states. Intensive fishing since medieval times has caused this decline gradually over the centuries, so that the fish-deprived sea seems normal to today's generations. Industrial fishing, especially trawling, has virtually eliminated entire habitats, including cod in Canada, oysters in Chesapeake Bay and herring in the North Sea. Now, sophisticated devices such as sonar depth sensors are being used to plunder that last frontier, the deep sea. Callum's alarming conclusion is that by the year 2048, fisheries for all the fish and shellfish species we exploit today will have collapsed. He argues persuasively for the establishment of marine reserves—protected areas where fish stocks have a chance to recover. His impressive book, replete with quotations from the reports of early explorers, merchants and travelers describing seas teeming with life that's unimaginable today, is a vivid reminder of what we've lost and a plea to save what is left and help the sea recover some of its earlier bounty. Illus. not seen by PW. (Aug. 15)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Starting with the eighteenth-century voyages of Vitus Bering, Roberts leads the reader through a wealth of maritime history revealing countless examples of overfishing. By quoting everyone from naturalist Georg Steller to western writer and trophy fisherman Zane Gray and swordfish boat captain and author Lynda Greenlaw, he covers a wide range of perspectives from those who know the seas better than most. The overwhelming message is that profitability and sustainability are no longer compatible and hard choices must now be made. Roberts is eloquent and persuasive as he recounts centuries of ill-managed fishery planning, and allows those who have directly experienced dramatic changes in the oceans to speak for themselves. He offers both indictments and solutions in a straight-ahead book illustrated with historical photographs and drawings that should appeal equally to armchair enthusiasts, maritime aficionados, and scientists. Thoughtful, inspiring, devastating, and powerful, Roberts' comprehensive, welcoming, and compelling approach to an urgent subject conveys large problems in a succinct and involving manner. Readers will not be able to put it down. Mondor, Colleen
Reader Reviews
Callum Roberts has crafted an excellent overview of the history of human exploitation of the sea. The title chosen for the book is excellent. If it were titled "The Natural History of the Sea" you could expect to read about marine bio-diversity, and how marine species interact with each other. The title, "The Unnatural History of the Sea," however, is a good indicator of the content of the book. The book is divided into three main sections. Section one introduces the reader to the history of human exploitation of the sea for food and profit. That overview includes references to historical documents that give insight into the diversity and densities of marine species. It includes chapters on what happened in European waters, the lure of largely unexploited fishing grounds in the new world, and the development of the global commercial fisheries for groups including cod, whales, and seals, as well as the advent of industrialized fishing. Section two of the book is titled "The Modern Era of Fishing." In this section you are provided with example after example of the pattern of overharvesting, moving to new fishing grounds, and the subsequent development and application of new fishing technologies. This section details decimated fisheries, fish population crashes, the decline of coral reefs, and the ongoing rush to capture all we can while there is still something left to fish. Finally, the third section of the book presents an overview of current fisheries policies, and a proposal for a new direction that could save global fisheries. The book deserves and demands to be read by anyone interested in the sea, as well as by those involved in developing and implementing fisheries policies. By the way, if you are like me, you will be hooked by the first story in the first chapter...it tells about of the discovery and subsequent demise of the Stellar Sea Cow, a large, docile marine mammal that once lived along the northern Pacific coast of North America. Sadly, that mammal didn't survive more than a few decades after its discovery. Get a copy of the book and find out why. I look forward to introducing this book to my marine biology and ichthyology students! Five stars all the way!
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The Unnatural History of the Sea
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Price: $18.48
Updated on 6-21-2008.
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