Vanishing Fish: Shifting Baselines and the Future of Global Fisheries

by Daniel Pauly, Jennifer Jacquet (Foreword)

"Daniel Pauly is a friend whose work has inspired me for years."
—Ted Danson , actor, ocean activist, and co-author of Oceana "This wonderfully personal and accessible book by the world’s greatest living fisheries biologist summarizes and expands on the causes of collapse and the essential actions that will be required to rebuild fish stocks for future generations.”
—Dr. Jeremy Jackson , ocean scientist and author of Breakpoint The world’s fisheries are in crisis. Their catches are declining, and the stocks of key species, such as cod and bluefin tuna, are but a small fraction of their previous abundance, while others have been overfished almost to extinction. The oceans are depleted and the commercial fishing industry increasingly depends on subsidies to remain afloat. In these essays, award-winning biologist Dr. Daniel Pauly offers a thought-provoking look at the state of today’s global fisheries—and a radical way to turn it around. Starting with the rapid expansion that followed World War II, he traces the arc of the fishing industry’s ensuing demise, offering insights into how and why it has failed. With clear, convincing prose, Dr. Pauly draws on decades of research to provide an up-to-date assessment of ocean health and an analysis of the issues that have contributed to the current crisis, including globalization, massive underreporting of catch, and the phenomenon of “shifting baselines,” in which, over time, important knowledge is lost about the state of the natural world. Finally, Vanishing Fish provides practical recommendations for a way forward—a vision of a vibrant future where small-scale fisheries can supply the majority of the world’s fish. Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute

Genres: Environment, Science, Nature, Nonfiction, Food

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[The Inquisitive Biologist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outspoken and informative, Vanishing Fish is a career-spanning collection of essays by one of the most important fisheries biologists of our times. See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2019...

[Morten Greve · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enlightening, if somewhat uneven collection of papers by a leading fisheries biologist. The best chapters offer an excellent overview of various aspects of the acute crisis we face. Other chapters are akin to a scientific autobiography. Slightly less interesting...

Several of the papers were originally printed quite a few years ago but that’s not a major issue since the author has updated both text and references comprehensively.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daniel Pauly 🐐 alert?

[Simon Parent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read, showing the importance of marine ecosystems, of having a holistic view of food webs, and the destruction currently experienced by those ecosystems. The lessons I take home are that we need huge protected marine areas, especially coastal, that we include poverty in an approach toward coastal degradation, that we need to end all fishing subsidies, and put those subsidies toward fish farms (in high seas, to prevent algae blooms and pollution, or inland, in a filtered closed loop). We need to let the ocean breathe, maybe also rethink maritime trade routes to avoid protected areas (for wales), and figure a way to alleviate the poverty of displaced farmers that then fish unsustainably. Though big boats are more the issue, and will be unusable once the subsidy flow ends, small scale fishing has to be addressed too, mostly through social improvements.

[Clivemichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars in the rating indicates I really liked it. This is a paradox. The writing is excellent; lol moments, fascinating detail and chilling realities presented with aplomb. A cry for help with dignity and (some) diplomacy. Well referenced.

[Callum McAllister · Rating 3 out of 5]

Takeaways:

1. Pauly is a scientific badass.
2. Fishing subsidies are bad.

[Mills College Library]

338.3727 P333 2019

[Abe · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 stars for Dr. Pauly, 3 stars for the editors of this book, which is a mess

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's complicated.








NF
197 pages

[Gary Mcfarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received this book from Canadian Geographic. Took awhile to read but well worth it considering the current Anthropocene Epoch we are in right now.