Customer Reviews

Ocean Bankruptcy: World Fisheries on the Brink of Disaster

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are looking on how to improve your fishing methods or where-to-go fishing, Stephen Sloan?s Ocean Bankruptcy is not the book. Steve has taken the pulse of our oceans repeatedly through the years, and let me tell you something: this book is not only for anglers, but for everyone on earth who is concerned about our fisheries, our environment, our oceans, our earth.
Every decade a book comes along that alerts us to various problems that face our world.
Ocean Bankruptcy is the environmental book for the present decade. Compares with Rachel Carson?s Silent Spring in importance.
With the tremendous demand for seafood around the world, huge commercial longline boats are raping our oceans for quick profits. Unless something is done, and done quickly, our oceans may never recover.
Sloan is not afraid to duke it out with wealthy individuals, influential friends, powerful lobbies and he even takes on countries themselves. He names names. I?ve never read a more gutsy environmental book; Steve is lucky to be alive! There is mystery, intrigue, deception, tension so the book is a real page turner, but, more importantly, it is absolutely necessary reading if we are to save our oceans.
Sloan is one of our best, most versatile anglers today. He has done it all. Fished everywhere. H e could enjoy fishing the world?s best places for the rest of his life; instead he is greatly concerned about the future of the oceans and devotes most of his time, energies and resources to help save our fisheries.
CNN, 60 Minutes, Dateline and PBS would do well to interview Sloan regarding Ocean Bankruptcy.
Buy this book immediately... if not sooner.

This book read like a bunch of loosely connected letters that did not keep my attention for very long. If it were not for the fact that I do not start a book and not read the whole thing, I would have not read the rest of this book past Chapter 3. There are many better wrtitten books that are concerned with the state of our oceans, so research another and don't waste your time.

While I applaud the goal of the author to shed light on the problem of over fishing, the book is a look at several very particular species, and does not offer a good view of the conditions of the ocean overall. Some would argue that the over fishing of these species is an indicator of the ocean health overall, however there are some species hanging over the brink, while others are doing well. The highly migratory species (which are what the author discusses), are not a barometer for the entire fishery industry.

As the author is an avid sport fisher, it makes sense that he is concerned about the species of tuna, marlin, sailfish and swordfish. And, with the exception of tuna, these species, while heavily fished, are not nearly in the plight of many other fisheries in the United States and around the world. Atlantic cod, as a single example, is in much more serious trouble and the fishery has been all but closed. There are serious questions about whether the fishery will ever return, and if it does, if it will sustain commercial activity.

The species the author is concerned with are over fished, although the numbers are hotly disputed between nations, making it difficult to assess. In addition, the author insists that some quota of these species be left for the sport fishing industry. His claim is that the sport fishing industry generates hundreds of millions of dollars for the economy from boat making to tackle sales. I do, however, question his math, as he seems to lump all sport fishing into the monetary statistics, which fails to recognize the numerous other sport fishing opportunities in the US, which are not affected by decline in highly migratory species.

The author does a good job at pointing to the problems with the NMFS, however fails to discuss how much the agency is responsible for. They are responsible for every fishery in US waters, and are grossly under funded for the task.

There are good books out there on the decline of the fishery industries around the world. IF you are interested in the highly migratory species, this book may be of value. If, however, you are concerned with the oceans on an overall basis, this is a poor choice of books.

This fast paced book about the destruction of our world fisheries reads like a Clancy novel, the intrigue alone will amaze you. Best of all Sloan actually comes up with easy solutions to these problems. This is a must read whether you like to fish, eat fish, or are concerned about the environment.