Song for the Blue Ocean: Encounters Along the World's Coasts and Beneath the Seas

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 480 pages
• Published by: Holt Paperbacks; 1st Owl Books Ed edition June 15, 1999
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0805061223
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0805061222
• Book Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Weighs: 1.2 pounds

Product Review
The oceans of the world rank foremost among humankind's last great frontiers, and their climatological and ecological workings remain mysterious to all but specialists. In this lively, well-written survey, marine scientist Carl Safina encourages readers to take a wider interest in the oceans, especially because so much of that great blue expanse is now threatened by human progress. Safina notes, for example, that the North Atlantic's tuna population has fallen by more than ninety percent in just the last few decades. It has gone the way of cod and herring and pilot whales thanks to a combination of changing global temperatures, overfishing, pollution, inland watershed and delta destruction, and other causes--many of them attributable to human activities. Even now, he notes, many Pacific fishing fleets use cyanide to catch fish, a process that destroys sensitive marine ecosystems. Safina's tour of the world's waters may inspire readers to press for changes in the way that fish is brought to their tables, and to take a more careful look at the natural processes that govern this watery planet. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Other than fishers and oceanographers, few people have taken note of the worldwide decline of fish populations. Sounding an alarm, Safina argues that we must extend a sense of biological community to ocean animals.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Reader Reviews
This review is from: Song for the Blue Ocean: Encounters Along the World's Coasts and Beneath the Seas (Hardcover) Safina weaves a masterful story of our oceans and the precarious relationship between sea and man. Unlike traditional "environmental" works, Safina tells the story of three disparate communities and their relationship to a dying sea. The use of language, the intriguing personal accounts actually EXPERIENCED by the author, and a deep understanding of the complexity of the sea are halmarks of this work. The book is divided into three large sections covering the following regions: New England and bluefin tuna, the Pacific Northwest and salmon, and the southwest Pacific and aquarium fishes. Each section is self contained and focuses on the specific region targeted by the section. Safina, fortunately, does not attempt to create a mega tome describing all the ocean's problems. Rather, he focuses are three extremely well researched areas that, assumingly, typify the problems with the sea. Safina has a unique talent for storytelling that conveys deep meanings and complex relationships. The need for such a simple, and yet complex, analysis is similar to the simple, and yet complex, issues that surround ocean depletion itself. That is, Safina is not a typical "environmentalist" with the "answers." He is a concerned person who tells the complex story of how a "simple" event like overfishing can occur in our "modern" world. The complex and interrelated dynamics of economy, politics, science, families, occupations, and age together lead to the "simple" problems that Safina describes. As becomes very evident in the book, one can only understand the problem, and then presumably take action, when one understands and accepts the complex dynamics that created the problem. Safina steers well clear of the traditional, simplified "environmentalist" stance that points the proverbial finger at single sources like "government," clear cut loggers, long line fishers, and cyanide fisherman. The epilogue alone is a masterpiece of understanding and simplicity. Like the land ethic, Safina identifies the equal importance of a sea ethic. Safina's solutions are refreshing for anyone who doubts the government's ability to objectively protect our resources. Rather, Safina seems to leave the protection to local peoples -- the people directly impacted by the issues and with vested interests in the outcomes. Through local actions, not distant government mandates, our heritage and resources can survive. Comment | | (Report this)