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The Empty Ocean (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Once upon a time, gray whales fed in the cold waters off Iceland and Greenland and migrated south-perhaps to the Bay of Biscay or even..." (more)
Key Phrases: deepwater corals, white pox, swordfish fishery, United States, North Atlantic, New England (more...)

4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This is not just another apocalyptic ecology book, lamenting the decline and extinction of too many sea species and the concomitant pollution of their watery habitats. Rather, Ellis (Imagining Atlantis) uses his considerable narrative skills, along with his deft illustrator's hand, to recount the worldwide saga of human predation in the oceans. This is a historical compendium rich in anecdote, lore and details of the natural life of water-dwelling creatures. The animals discussed are not limited to the commonly known, commercially important fish and the familiar intelligent sea mammals, but also looks into the fate of lesser known seabirds and the delicate limestone formations we know as coral reefs. Geographically the book ranges from the frigid North Atlantic of Newfoundland to the rich waters of New Zealand. The stories of human overuse and abuse of the sea are legion, from North America's loss of the penguin-like great auk, due to overhunting beginning in the 15th century and ending in the 19th century, to unintentional drowning of leatherback turtles by Asian fishing nets. Yet the author does not lock into the typical maudlin rant of modern-day environmental Cassandras. Rather, Ellis explains and details through both historical and scientific data the scope of the problem and offers some realistic alternatives to continued misuse and apathy. Illus.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ellis--ocean lover, artist, and prolific author--has been introducing readers to the wonders of marine life for decades, a mission that has now become urgent. Humankind has always felt free to kill vast quantities of marine creatures, a habit turned diabolical with the development of ever more sophisticated and destructive fishing-and-hunting technologies. As the human population has increased, the marine population has plummeted, and Ellis tells the complex story behind this equation for disaster with a vast array of facts, unfailing eloquence, and bracing frankness. He deftly introduces an astonishing spectrum of once abundant, now dwindling marine creatures, such as sardines, cod, sea turtles, seabirds, fur seals, whales, and, in a particularly fascinating chapter, the rarely studied family of sea horses. Pollution, bioinvaders, overkilling, and underthinking have put the entire marine world, which, as Ellis writes, is "more intricately woven" than a rain forest, in peril, and the only hope for reversing this catastrophic loss is to channel the informed concern aroused by Ellis, Carl Safina, and other knowledgeable champions of the sea into a campaign for reform. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

Hardcover: 375 pages
Publisher: Island Press; 1 edition (July 18, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1559639741
ISBN-13: 978-1559639743
Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds

Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #418,190 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories: (What's this?)
#21 in Books > Science > Biological Sciences > Ecology > Marine
#93 in Books > Outdoors & Nature > Conservation > Endangered Species

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
Once upon a time, gray whales fed in the cold waters off Iceland and Greenland and migrated south-perhaps to the Bay of Biscay or even to the English Channel-to breed. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
deepwater corals, white pox, swordfish fishery, turtle survival, southern fur seals, white abalone, coral diseases, barndoor skates, fur seal skins, fur seal population, shark fisheries, catcher boats, sealing industry, tuna fishery, harp seals, river dolphin, small cetaceans, seal fishery, turtle conservation, olive ridley, tuna fishermen, cod fishermen, spotted dolphins, sea otter skins, seal hunt

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, North Atlantic, New England, New Zealand, South Georgia, North Pacific, North America, Black Sea, Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Baja California, Bering Sea, Grand Banks, Indian Ocean, Nova Scotia, National Marine Fisheries Service, South Africa, Archie Carr, Robben Island, Hong Kong, South Shetlands, Southern Hemisphere, Endangered Species Act, South America, South Australia

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Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats

Citations (learn more)

This book cites 100 books:

Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals by William F. Perrin on 18 pages
Coral Reefs (Water Habitats.) by JoAnn Early Macken on 5 pages
Marine Mammals by D Haley on 5 pages
Sea Turtles (Blastoff! Readers) (Oceans Alive) by Ann Herriges on page 101, page 103, and page 113
Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)

See all 100 books this book cites

10 books cite this book:

Singing Whales and Flying Squid: The Discovery of Marine Life by Richard Ellis in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
The Sea Can Wash Away All Evils: Modern Marine Pollution and the Ancient Cathartic Ocean by Kimberley Patton on page 138, and Back Matter
No Turning Back: The Life and Death of Animal Species by Richard Ellis in Front Matter, and Back Matter
Hooked: Pirates, Poaching, and the Perfect Fish by G. Bruce Knecht on page 201
Sparks: Global Crises, Evolution and True Born Again People by Albert J. Dauray in Back Matter

See all 10 books citing this book

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals by William F. Perrin

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Ken Schultz's Fishing Encyclopedia by Ken Schultz

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The Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife: Birds and Marine Mammals of the Antarctic Continent and the Southern Ocean

The Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife by Hadoram Shirihai

Discusses:

Walker's Marine Mammals of the World by Ronald M. Nowak

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	51% buy the item featured on this page: The Empty Ocean 4.9 out of 5 stars (11)
	22% buy The End of the Line: How Overfishing Is Changing the World and What We Eat 4.7 out of 5 stars (11) $13.57
	11% buy Tuna: A Love Story 3.7 out of 5 stars (6) $11.04
	10% buy The Unnatural History of the Sea 4.6 out of 5 stars (14) $19.75

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews

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4.9 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The True Tragedy of the Commons, December 4, 2003

By	David B Richman (Mesilla Park, NM USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

Richard Ellis has presented in "The Empty Ocean" a bleak tale of the overexploitation of a common resource- fish and other sealife. Unfortunately Ellis has not exaggerated the problem, which will eventually cause all of us difficulties. From the collapse of the North Atlantic fisheries to coral bleaching to the destruction of turtle populations, man has caused havoc in a supposedly inexhaustible habitat.

How did this happen? Ellis points out that the reason that fisheries are collapsing worldwide is because of the super efficiency of modern fishing techniques. In essence they can catch everything, or nearly everything, in the area fished. Radar, huge nets, long many-hook lines and huge fleets of ships are used to feed the ever-increasing demand for seafood, sushi, aquarium fish, coral and rare shells. Since the resource is often less than the demand, especially for high-ticket items like tuna, the profit is high and the "commons" are overexploited for current gain. Not only this, but the number of non-target organisms that die in the process is truly staggering.

What can we do to slow down the destruction? We can try to back sound science-based fishing regulations and at least lower our demand for products from the sea, especially for those known to be overexploited. The tragedy is that, despite our efforts, the oceans of the world will probably never be quite the same again. However, if humans do not limit themselves they will soon (as Ellis notes on the last page) know for whom the bell tolls.

Read this book- it may make you think twice about current consumptive practices, especially if you value your children's future.

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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What 'bury my heart at wounded knee' was for the sea., July 18, 2005

By	C. Moon (Valley Village, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Empty Ocean (Paperback)

Where Empty Ocean wins above a dozen other books is how it takes a bottom line approach, species by species and gives you the facts. Facts verifiable by the ever-handy Redlist(provided online by the IUCN). Ellis goes quite a bit further though, giving a historical account of each species. It is nice to know, for instance, why it is that the Sea Otter has ended up in the predicament it has; never mind that a friend of mine (oh my) was quite unaware that the Dodo was eaten out of existance.

Ellis makes each animal a story--and a worthwhile story at that. I recall sharing 'Wounded Knee' with a friend of mine who gave up after a few chapters saying he 'got the point', and while it works for literary criticism, it doesn't for historical or scientific criticism. I doubt that Ellis's book is in anyway comprehensive, but while most readers will grasp the levity of things very quickly, it deserves to be read in its entirity. I think the various species mentioned here (many in trouble, many already extinct) deserve that much.

Best yet, while Ellis does little to disguise his deep affinity for all those things that would make the sea their home, his arguments rest not at all upon this sentimentality, but rather on the instability of our marine-based economies as populations crash.

At least a dozen eighteenth century extinctions would read like this epitaph "Like the sea cow, it was ridiculously easy to kill and tasted good...", but Ellis exposes how modern methods are far more effective in decimating extant species than any whalers ever could have managed.

Possibly one of the most essential reads for an easy overview of the state of sea-going species, though readers with a greater interest will no doubt want to dig farther into the literature and on-line resources.

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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A win for the environment, A look at our Marine Ecosystem , April 14, 2005

By	B. Taylor "Bioteach" (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a scientist I thought the book provided an excellent edifying view of our global marine ecosystem. The book builds an extremely strong case of the devastation caused by man to the marine environment. More politicians should read this book, especially the Bush Admininstration with their imbecilic view of global warming. The power of this book can harnessed in the classroom, by planting a seed in future generations for the importance of the biodiversity of life. Great book!!!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Stabbed me in the heart a 1000 times over
Oh.... You cannot read this book without feeling like you are being butchered - but for every knife Ellis stabbed in me over the stupidity of human's unsustainable quest for all... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Cybamuse

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read book
I would almost plead for the general population to read this book. The information it holds is important for us and our future generations. Read more

Published 4 months ago by *Snake*Charmer*

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for People who care about the Earth
Enlightening Humans to our Environmental effects. Every animal has it's own eco system. What do we consider to be ours and where are it's borders in our daily life. Read more

Published 12 months ago by William A. Greenebaum

4.0 out of 5 stars Stopped eating Tuna...
Informative book with a lot of provocative scenarios (the analogy of the Tokyo fish market and the piece of empty ocean is genius). Read more

Published 13 months ago by David Dicicco

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly disturbing book
This is a truly frightening book. Most people are really unaware of what's going on today out in the world's oceans. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Future Watch Writer

5.0 out of 5 stars NO MORE SUSHI FOR ME !
Richard Ellis' "The Empty ocean" reads like an encycleopedic obituary for marine life. It's an on going casualty list of oceanic life forms complete with well researched... Read more

Published on July 2, 2007 by Joseph R. Calamia

5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening
I purchased this book after hearing Richard Ellis on an interview on KQED public radio here in San Francisco. Read more

Published on March 10, 2004 by Ei Katsumata

5.0 out of 5 stars Important book
If you've read this book, and want to help your children out on the right path to protecting coral reefs, marine mammals - have them check out Captain Jon Explores the Ocean DVD... Read more

Published on October 29, 2003

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