September 1, 2007 at 09:11:30

The Unnatural History of the Sea

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By John R Moffett (about the author) Page 2 of 2 page(s)

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Professor Roberts dedicates the entire last chapter to issue number seven; establishing a network of permanent marine sanctuaries in every ocean around the world. Scientists have estimated that if between 20% and 30% of the world’s oceans, especially those that act as critical breeding grounds for important species, are made permanently off-limits to fishing, that these will act as nurseries or incubators which can repopulate the world's oceans with a virtually inexhaustible source of fish, if managed properly. Fishing effort could be greatly reduced while the size of the catches would greatly increase. But as long as the decisions on how to manage the worlds oceans are handled by fishermen and politicians, the relentless over exploitation of the world's oceans will continue unabated.

In one poignant chapter title Professor Roberts asks which you would prefer, “barbecued jellyfish or swordfish steaks?” The two things you can do right away to avoid a future of barbecued jellyfish is to reduce your consumption of fish and shellfish, and to write your representatives and demand improved management of our shared fisheries. The overexploitation of the oceans will end one way or the other, depending on what we humans do in the very near future. The oceans are at a tipping point now, and if the over-exploitation continues at the current pace, many species of fish and shellfish may dwindle beyond the ability to recover.

Professor Roberts’ new book is both entertaining and enlightening, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in conservation of the oceans, and the creatures that give them life.

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Dr. John Moffett is a Managing Editor at OpEdNews.com, and is an active research neuroscientist in the Washington, DC area. Dr. Moffett has published numerous scientific articles on the nervous and immune systems. Dr. Moffett's main area of research (more...)

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