The Unnatural History of the Sea

Today's photo is one I captured in Vondelpark recently. You may recall me referring to a guy who came down to feed the storks, and he was also the owner of this dog.

But the thing I wanted to blog about today is a new book, The Unnatural History of the Sea. It came to my attention after reading a review in last weekend's Washington Post. Rather than trying to paraphrase, let me quote the first two paragraphs of the review, since it is put very well:

"There are times when the capacity of mankind to blind itself to plain reality is simply breathtaking. Thus to this day we still believe, as was universally believed two centuries ago, that the seas surrounding us afford an infinite source of wealth. As recently as half a century ago, two respected academics asserted in a book titled The Inexhaustible Sea that what the ocean "has to offer extends beyond the limits of our imagination -- that someday men will learn that in its bounty the sea is inexhaustible."

A boundless delusion. What informed scientists now know, as Callum Roberts writes in this measured but passionate and immensely important book -- a persuasive synopsis of existing scholarship augmented by the author's own research -- is that the resources of the sea are as limited as those of land and air, and that our penchant for exploiting them to the point of extinction is appalling."

I don't have the book yet, but certainly look forward to getting a chance to read it, having seen some of Robert's other work. He was the leading author on a report commissioned by Greenpeace in 2006 called Roadmap to Recovery: A Global Network of Marine Reserves.

At a time when marine life is being destroyed at an unprecedented rate, the report identifies the marine areas that need immediate protection from over-fishing, destructive fishing, mining and pollution, and presents a design for a global network of high seas marine reserves.

Marine reserves are highly protected areas that are off limits to all extractive and destructive uses, including fishing. They are the most powerful tool available for the conservation of ocean wildlife and may also benefit fisheries by promoting recovery and reproduction of exploited species.

Robert's new book tells the tale of the plunder of the oceans, and makes the case for marine reserves. As the review notes, marine reserves have had notable success in giving endangered species breathing room, but only .006 percent of the ocean is thus protected.

As the popultion of the planet continues to increase, and the popularity of seafood booms, we definitely need to do more to protect the oceans, both to protect the amazing creatures that live out there, and if we are going to provide a vital source of protein for future generations.

Looks like this new book makes a pretty good case on both fronts.