The Plundered Seas: Can the World's Fish Be Saved? [Hardcover]

Michael Berrill (Author), David Suzuki (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1997

Many environmentalists believe that the world's over-exploited and ailing oceans will soon replace tropical rain forests as the most pressing global ecological issue. With cogent analysis and specific suggestions for reform, THE PLUNDERED SEAS is a timely and important contribution to the search for solutions to this important worldwide problem.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Biologist Michael Berrill thinks that overfishing will turn the oceans into the most important frontier of environmentalism in the 21st century. "We are obviously close to, and probably exceeding, the maximum global catch that is possible to sustain," he writes, showing that the total weight of the annual fish catch has quadrupled since 1950. The Plundered Seas occasionally veers toward the technocratic, with its descriptions of New Zealand fishing laws and the like, but it rarely dwells on such subjects for too long. The Plundered Seas is written for general readers who won't be put off by a bit of detail, and includes a few sly observations: "If there ever were a fish destined for extermination by humans, it must be salmon, for it tastes too good, it looks too good, and it swims right into the hands, or nets, of inshore and upriver fishers."

From Library Journal

The world's fisheries are plagued by overfishing, an unnecessarily large global fishing fleet, and the huge waste of discarded fish. Berrill (biology, Trent Univ., Ontario) analyzes the reasons for the increasing scarcity of fish and the repeated boom-and-bust cycles in the history of fisheries. He outlines basic fish biology and physiology, discusses the destruction of natural habitats through marine pollution, and traces the theoretical bases on which fisheries have estimated stocks and maximum sustainable yields. Illustrations and tables accompany the well-written text. The author sees hope for the future in the U.N. Law of the Sea (1994), which has resulted in a change in ocean ownership?36 percent of the sea is now enclosed and with it 90 percent of the exploitable fish stocks that are managed by each country. Less technical and more recent than D.H. Cushing's The Provident Sea, (Cambridge Univ., 1988), this volume will be useful to public and academic collections on conservation of ecological resources.?Judith Barnett, Univ. of Rhode Island Lib., Kingston
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Sierra Club Books (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871569450
• ISBN-13: 978-0871569455
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,943,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The book gives an overall view of the major fisheries, August 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Plundered Seas: Can the World's Fish Be Saved? (Hardcover)

The Plundered Seas by Machael Berrill gives an overall view of the situation of the major fisheries i the world. The book is not a scientific but journalistic work which make it easy to read. However its angel is from a sustainable biologic and economic point. with out getting into the detail of explaining the deper theoretical reasoning for these views. A good book for somebody who wants an overall view of the state of the world fishery, both as a profesionall in the industry but primarely as somebody that is not familiar with the problems that the world fishery is facing