The Empty Ocean
The Empty Ocean

Author: Richard Ellis

Publisher: Island Press

Published: 2013-03-19

Total Pages: 385

ISBN-13: 1597265993

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In The Empty Ocean, acclaimed author and artist Richard Ellis tells the story of our continued plunder of life in the sea and weighs the chances for its recovery. Through fascinating portraits of a wide array of creatures, he introduces us to the many forms of sea life that humans have fished, hunted, and collected over the centuries, from charismatic whales and dolphins to the lowly menhaden, from sea turtles to cod, tuna, and coral. Rich in history, anecdote, and surprising fact, Richard Ellis’s descriptions bring to life the natural history of the various species, the threats they face, and the losses they have suffered. Killing has occurred on a truly stunning scale, with extinction all too often the result, leaving a once-teeming ocean greatly depleted. But the author also finds instances of hope and resilience, of species that have begun to make remarkable comebacks when given the opportunity. Written with passion and grace, and illustrated with Richard Ellis’s own drawings, The Empty Ocean brings to a wide audience a compelling view of the damage we have caused to life in the sea and what we can do about it. "

The Empty Sea
The Empty Sea

Author: Ilaria Perissi

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-02-12

Total Pages: 203

ISBN-13: 3030518981

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The “Blue Economy” is used to describe all of the economic activities related to the sea, with a special emphasis on sustainability. Traditional activities such as fisheries, but also undersea mining, tourism, and scientific research are included, as well as the phenomenal growth of aquaculture during the past decade. All of these activities, and the irresistible prospect of another new frontier, has led to enthusiastic and, most likely, overenthusiastic assessments of the possibilities to exploit the sea to feed the world, provide low-cost energy, become a new source of minerals, and other future miracles. This book makes sense of these trends and of the future of the blue economy by following our remote ancestors who gradually discovered the sea and its resources, describing the so-called fisherman’s curse – or why fishermen have always been poor, explaining why humans tend to destroy the resources on which we depend, and assessing the realistic expectations for extracting resources from the sea. Although the sea is not so badly overexploited as the land, our demands on ecosystem services are already above the oceans’ sustainability limits. Some new ideas, including “fishing down” for untapped resources such as plankton, could lead to the collapse of the entire marine ecosystem. How Neanderthals crossed the sea in canoes, how it was possible for five men on a small boat to kill a giant whale, what kind of oil the virgins of the Gospel put into their lamps, how a professor of mathematics, Vito Volterra, discovered the “equations of fishing,” why it has become so easy to be stung by a jellyfish while swimming in the sea, and how to play “Moby Dick,” a simple board game that simulates the overexploitation of natural resources are just some of the questions that you will be able to answer after reading this engaging and insightful book about the rapidly expanding relationship between humanity and the sea.

Empty the Ocean with a Thimble
Empty the Ocean with a Thimble

Author: Elizabeth Kirkpatrick-Vrenios

Publisher: Word Poetry

Published: 2021-04-15

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13: 9781625493774

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In Empty the Ocean with a Thimble, Elizabeth Kirkpatrick-Vrenios delves deeply into the subject of living with an abusive Finnish mother during a time of youthful exuberance. Her narrative and lyric style reflects the moods and colors of this extraordinary experience and her resolve in utilizing her Sisu to overcome.

Planet Ocean
Planet Ocean

Author: Patricia Newman

Publisher: Millbrook Press ™

Published: 2021-03-02

Total Pages: 64

ISBN-13: 1728411386

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"Books like this one help lead the way to a better climate future for all inhabitants of Mother Earth. We are all in this together!" — Jeff Bridges, Academy Award winner and environmentalist A little more than 70 percent of Planet Earth is ocean. So wouldn’t a better name for our global home be Planet Ocean? You may be surprised at just how closely YOU are connected to the ocean. Regardless of where you live, every breath you take and every drop of water you drink links you to the ocean. And because of this connection, the ocean’s health affects all of us. Dive in with author Patricia Newman and photographer Annie Crawley—visit the Coral Triangle near Indonesia, the Salish Sea in the Pacific Northwest, and the Arctic Ocean at the top of the world. Find out about problems including climate change, ocean acidification, and plastic pollution, and meet inspiring local people who are leading the way to reverse the ways in which humans have harmed the ocean. Planet Ocean shows us how to stop thinking of ourselves as existing separate from the ocean and how to start taking better care of this precious resource.

5 Easy Pieces
5 Easy Pieces

Author: Daniel Pauly

Publisher: Island Press

Published: 2010-07-28

Total Pages: 207

ISBN-13: 1597269689

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5 Easy Pieces features five contributions, originally published in Nature and Science, demonstrating the massive impacts of modern industrial fisheries on marine ecosystems. Initially published over an eight-year period, from 1995 to 2003, these articles illustrate a transition in scientific thought—from the initially-contested realization that the crisis of fisheries and their underlying ocean ecosystems was, in fact, global to its broad acceptance by mainstream scientific and public opinion. Daniel Pauly, a well-known fisheries expert who was a co-author of all five articles, presents each original article here and surrounds it with a rich array of contemporary comments, many of which led Pauly and his colleagues to further study. In addition, Pauly documents how popular media reported on the articles and their findings. By doing so, he demonstrates how science evolves. In one chapter, for example, the popular media pick up a contribution and use Pauly’s conclusions to contextualize current political disputes; in another, what might be seen as nitpicking by fellow scientists leads Pauly and his colleagues to strengthen their case that commercial fishing is endangering the global marine ecosystem. This structure also allows readers to see how scientists’ interactions with the popular media can shape the reception of their own, sometimes controversial, scientific studies. In an epilog, Pauly reflects on the ways that scientific consensus emerges from discussions both within and outside the scientific community.

Into the Deep
Into the Deep

Author: Christy Peterson

Publisher: Millbrook Press

Published: 2020-04-07

Total Pages: 147

ISBN-13: 154159584X

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Containing 97 percent of Earth's water supply, the ocean plays a huge role in regulating global temperatures, supporting plant and animal life, and contributing to the livelihoods of millions of people. But in spite of all this, the ocean remains drastically unexplored, and the details of its impact on human lives aren't fully understood. Scientists from around the world are realizing that to address issues plaguing the ocean, such as dead zones, coral bleaching, and climate change, we need to better understand this incredible, unique feature of our planet. With a range of impressive, cutting-edge technologies at their disposal, oceanographers have set out to measure, sample, and analyze at every turn. Every day, mysteries about the ocean are being solved, and every day, new questions come to light. The more scientists learn, the better they are able to answer these new questions. What lies in the deep? And who is at the forefront of these exciting discoveries? The scientists and research included in this book shed light on the most pressing issues currently facing oceanographers and point us in the right direction to solving these challenges.

The Unnatural History of the Sea
The Unnatural History of the Sea

Author: Callum Roberts

Publisher: Island Press

Published: 2009-01-05

Total Pages: 615

ISBN-13: 1597265772

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Humanity can make short work of the oceans’ creatures. In 1741, hungry explorers discovered herds of Steller’s sea cow in the Bering Strait, and in less than thirty years, the amiable beast had been harpooned into extinction. It’s a classic story, but a key fact is often omitted. Bering Island was the last redoubt of a species that had been decimated by hunting and habitat loss years before the explorers set sail. As Callum M. Roberts reveals in The Unnatural History of the Sea, the oceans’ bounty didn’t disappear overnight. While today’s fishing industry is ruthlessly efficient, intense exploitation began not in the modern era, or even with the dawn of industrialization, but in the eleventh century in medieval Europe. Roberts explores this long and colorful history of commercial fishing, taking readers around the world and through the centuries to witness the transformation of the seas. Drawing on firsthand accounts of early explorers, pirates, merchants, fishers, and travelers, the book recreates the oceans of the past: waters teeming with whales, sea lions, sea otters, turtles, and giant fish. The abundance of marine life described by fifteenth century seafarers is almost unimaginable today, but Roberts both brings it alive and artfully traces its depletion. Collapsing fisheries, he shows, are simply the latest chapter in a long history of unfettered commercialization of the seas. The story does not end with an empty ocean. Instead, Roberts describes how we might restore the splendor and prosperity of the seas through smarter management of our resources and some simple restraint. From the coasts of Florida to New Zealand, marine reserves have fostered spectacular recovery of plants and animals to levels not seen in a century. They prove that history need not repeat itself: we can leave the oceans richer than we found them.