"Ocean of Life"
Reading history and reviews
Finished on 29th June 2014In "Ocean of Life" marine scientist Callum Roberts lays out the parlous state of the world's oceans as a result of human activity over the last two centuries, and particularly the seismic changes that have occurred - and continue to accelerate - over the last fifty.
Far from being just a big puddle of homogeneous salty water, he describes how the oceans are a complex dynamic system, with various layers and currents that interact with each other in complex ways, many of which are still poorly understood. An astonishing diversity of life has evolved over thousands and millions of years to exist in these different ocean environments, but the changes (including overfishing, habitat destruction - particularly dredging and bottom-trawling - massive pollution, increasing temperatures and acidifications) now threaten their existence.
Much of the book makes frightening and depressing reading. At the start Roberts gives a stark illustration of how fish stocks have declined even since the 1950s, comparing photographs of recreational fish catches to older ones (tiny in modern-day photos compared to those from even just a few decades ago), and contrasting by historical accounts of the abundance of fish with the paucity today. The future is one of an acidic sea full of jellyfish.
He also makes a compelling case for how this directly affects humankind. We have more mouths to feed as global population rises, and fewer fish to feed them with. Those that remain are increasingly toxic due to absorption of pollutants. Changing ocean currents combined with loss of traditional coastal habitats mean that without vastly expensive man-made defences our lands are at increasing risk from erosion, flooding and extreme weather events. As he says, protecting the oceans is often seen as a luxury: in fact, not protecting them is economic and social madness.
While the outlook is bleak Roberts offers some suggestions for how we can turn the tide. Smarter consumer choices over seafood is one option, but the greatest hope is offered by the creation of a network of protected marine areas which allow habitats and life to recover. There are already examples where life is seen returning to such areas that have already been created. At the end Roberts seems to offer a degree of cautious optimism. Some changes have already been set in motion but there is a chance that we can mitigate the worst and give the oceans (and thus ourselves) a fighting chance.