As people continue to develop coastal areas, society's liability to hurricanes will dramatically increase, regardless of changes in the environment. This book addresses these key issues, providing a detailed examination of

Recent decades have been marked by the decline or collapse of one fishery after another around the world, from swordfish in the North Atlantic to orange roughy in the South Pacific. While the effects of a collapse on local economies and fishing-dependent communities have generated much discussion, little attention has been paid to its impacts on the overall health of the ocean's ecosystems. In a Perfect Ocean: The State of Fisheries and Ecosystems in the North Atlantic Ocean presents the first empirical assessment of the status of ecosystems in the North Atlantic ocean. Drawing on a wide range of studies including original research conducted for this volume, the authors analyze 14 large marine ecosystems to provide an indisputable picture of an ocean whose ecology has been dramatically altered, resulting in a phenomenon described by the authors as "fishing down the food web." The book: provides a snapshot of the past health of the North Atlantic and compares it to its present status presents a rigorous scientific assessment based on the key criteria of fisheries catches, biomass, and trophic level considers the factors that have led to the current situation describes the policy options available for halting the decline offers recommendations for restoring the North Atlantic An original and powerful series of maps and charts illustrate where the effects of overfishing are the most pronounced and highlight the interactions among various factors contributing to the overall decline of the North Atlantic's ecosystems. This is the first in a series of assessments by the world's leading marine scientists, entitled "The State of the World's Oceans." In a Perfect Ocean: The State of Fisheries and Ecosystems in the North Atlantic Ocean is a landmark study, the first of its kind to make a comprehensive, ecosystem-based assessment of the North Atlantic Ocean, and will be essential reading for policymakers at the state, national, and international level concerned with fisheries management, as well for scientists, researchers, and activists concerned with marine issues or fishing and the fisheries industry.

Text To Accompany The Physiographic Diagram Of The North Atlantic. The Geological Society Of America Special Paper, No. 65.

This photographic and descriptive guide to the fish species that inhabit the North Atlantic and Mediterranean is unique in its emphasis on the appearance of marine fish in their natural habitats. It expands and recasts the Lythgoes' highly regarded first edition published two decades ago. In particular, all of the more than 200 color photographs are new, and most are accompanied by line drawings that emphasize distinctive traits. The fish are arranged by class, family, and species, and succinct descriptions give detailed information about anatomy, distribution, food, and breeding habits. Most of the photographs were taken underwater, providing valuable information on how the fish swims in nature, its true colors and pattern, and whether or not it is camouflaged against its natural background. The geographical area covered in the book includes the Atlantic coastal waters of the United States and Canada north of Chesapeake Bay; the Mediterranean; and from Gibraltar north to the Arctic, including all the coasts of Europe. John Lythgoe, a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, is an expert on the appearance and color of fish underwater. The section of the book on the gobies, a group of fish that are as difficult to study as they are interesting, has been contributed by Peter J. Miller. Gillian Lythgoe is a diver, photographer, and the future and managing director of Planet Earth Pictures, whose collection covers a wide range of natural history and environmental subjects.

A stirring case for a wholesale reimagining of the framing, tactics, and goals we employ in our journey to heal from ecological destruction With research and insight, Charles Eisenstein details how the quantification of the natural world leads to a lack of integration and our “fight” mentality. With an entire chapter unpacking the climate change denier’s point of view, he advocates for expanding our exclusive focus on carbon emissions to see the broader picture beyond our short-sighted and incomplete approach. The rivers, forests, and creatures of the natural and material world are sacred and valuable in their own right—not simply for carbon credits or preventing the extinction of one species versus another. After all, when you ask someone why they first became an environmentalist, they’re likely to point to the river they played in, the ocean they visited, the wild animals they observed, or the trees they climbed when they were a kid. This refocusing away from impending catastrophe and our inevitable doom cultivates meaningful emotional and psychological connections and provides real, actionable steps to caring for the earth. Freeing ourselves from a war mentality and seeing the bigger picture of how everything from prison reform to saving the whales can contribute to our planetary ecological health, we resist reflexive postures of solution and blame and reach toward the deep place where commitment lives.

Each of the more than 200 listings is accompanied by full-color photographs, identification tips, habitat and range information, and a space for notes.