Elliott A. Norse, President, Marine Conservation Biology Institute


I fish and am out there all of the time and Carl tells all.   May 7, 1998
Carl's book was just great. Anyone reading it and not enjoying both the hands on environment and the reality of international fishery management screw ups just does not understand the real world. I strongly recommend this book and I wish all fish managers the world over had to read this.


A book to steal your breath and wonder upon man and ocean   May 7, 1998
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This book is a joy to read, the first chapter grabs your attention and each successive one holds you fast. Song is so well rounded, beautifully written, and well researched that it fills me with envy to think Safina even launched upon the task. As a researcher, marine conservationist, recreational fisher and diver, and friend of the commercial fishing community I can vouch for many of Safina's facts. And in response to earlier customer comments regarding the bluefin industry, there are volumes of data, and those giant tuna are getting slammed. Before blasting off irrational and ridiculous messages you might want to double check on your information source.


Well-written, accurate and (sadly) true   May 6, 1998
Safina's book tells the story accurately. Marine fish species, including the tunas, are in decline worldwide, and haggling over insignificant differences in the percentage of decline (which, by the way, Safina reports accurately, contrary to the comment below) will not bring the fishes back. Safina's book is a fair, even-handed report from the field. It is "Silent Spring" for the oceans.


Highly informative work dealing with the worlds fisheries   May 6, 1998
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I found this book to provide the most accurate portrayal of the interactions of the different facits of society and how that affects our marine fish populations. In particular, I found Mr.Safinas description of the commercial fishing persona to be in my my experience, profoundly accurate. In particular, Dr. Safina was able to grasp the essence of how the profit motive subverts good men and women and causes them to destroy the very animals their lives depend on. I have been involved with the fisheries of the North Pacific for fourty years, both in recreational and commercial aspects. This is the first literary work that I have come across that so accurately describes the present condition of our salmon populations in real terms, and how that affects the people who depend upon these fish for work and play.

Although I do not have any intimate knowledge of the other areas of the world Dr. Safina deals with in his book, I found it to be very intersting. I found the information that he stated about the salmon situation to be implicitely true. Therefore, I feel safe to say that the information in this book can be relied upon without fail.