The Unnatural History of the Sea

Illus. All rights reserved. Callum's alarming conclusion is that by the year 2048, fisheries for all the fish and shellfish species we exploit today will have collapsed. not seen by PW. He argues persuasively for the establishment of marine reserves—protected areas where fish stocks have a chance to recover. 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. (Aug. 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.

Roberts reveals in The Unnatural History of the Sea, the oceans’ bounty didn’t disappear overnight. 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 story does not end with an empty ocean. They prove that history need not repeat itself: we can leave the oceans richer than we found them.. 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. 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. Instead, Roberts describes how we might restore the splendor and prosperity of the seas through smarter management of our resources and some simple restraint. Humanity can make short work of the oceans’ creatures. As Callum M. The abundance of marine life described by fifteenth century sea

"Everyone should read this" according to A. Frazer. Fantastic book. I couldn't put it down.This isn't a tree-hugging, anti-population tone. Roberts carefully builds a case documenting how rich our fisheries used to be, and how they've been slowly destroyed, one species at a time.. "How easy it is to ruin an ocean!" according to David J. Wilson. Many years ago biologist Garrett Hardin made the phrase "tragedy of the commons" a part of our vocabulary as he eloquently described how and why resources held "in common" are inevitably over-exploited and destroyed. Callum Roberts's excellent book The Unnatural History of the Sea documents in grim detail the various ways the tragedy of the commons has played out in the world's fishery resources. For centuries the human race has quickly and systematically destroyed every. This is a superb read. Dr. Roberts has written a book that should be required reading for all those who are engaged in making a living from the sea. It shows the deleterious effects of the "law of the commons", where those who harvest the resources bear no responsibility for their impacts upon the environment in which they live. His writing is clear, his research thorough, and his conclusions on the fate of the ocean environment through human misuse are truly frightening. A very good read.