ABOUT THE BOOK:

Shifting Baselines explores the real-world implications of a groundbreaking idea: we must understand the oceans of the past to protect the oceans of the future. In 1995, acclaimed marine biologist Daniel Pauly coined the term "shifting baselines" to describe a phenomenon of lowered expectations, in which each generation regards a progressively poorer natural world as normal. This seminal volume expands on Pauly's work, showing how skewed visions of the past have led to disastrous marine policies and why historical perspective is critical to revitalize fisheries and ecosystems.

Edited by marine ecologists Jeremy Jackson and Enric Sala, and historian Karen Alexander, the book brings together knowledge from disparate disciplines to paint a more realistic picture of past fisheries. The authors use case studies on the cod fishery and the connection between sardine and anchovy populations, among others, to explain various methods for studying historic trends and the intricate relationships between species. Subsequent chapters offer recommendations about both specific research methods and effective management. This practical information is framed by inspiring essays by Carl Safina and Randy Olson on a personal experience of shifting baselines and the importance of human stories in describing this phenomenon to a broad public.

While each contributor brings a different expertise to bear, all agree on the importance of historical perspective for effective fisheries management. Readers, from students to professionals, will benefit enormously from this informed hindsight.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Jeremy Jackson is Director of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Karen Alexander is a historian who is currently Project Coordinator of the Gulf of Maine Cod Project. Enric Sala is National Geographic Society Fellow.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction: The Importance of Shifting Baselines/ Jeremy B.C. Jackson and Karen E. Alexander

PART I THE PROBLEM DEFINED

Chapter 1: A Shoreline Remembrance/ Carl Safina

Chapter 2: The “March of Folly” in Global Fisheries/ U. Rashid Sumaila and Daniel Pauly

Chapter 3: If a Frond Falls in the Kelp Forest (does it make any sound?)/ Randy Olson

PART II ANCHOVIES AND SARDINES

Chapter 4: The Sardine-Anchovy Puzzle/ Alec D. Maccall

Chapter 5: Variations in Fisheries and Complex Ocean Environments/ David B. Field, Francisco Chavez, Carina B. Lange, and Paul E. Smith

PART III COD

Chapter 6: The Historic Abundance of Cod on the Nova Scotian Shelf/ W. Jeffrey Bolster, Karen E. Alexander, And William B. Leavenworth

Chapter 7: History and Context: Reflections from Newfoundland/ Daniel Vickers, with Loren Mcclenachan

PART IV METHODS IN HISTORICAL MARINE ECOLOGY

Chapter 8: Uncovering the Ocean’s Past/ Heike K. Lotze, Jon M. Erlandson, Marah J. Hardt, Richard D. Norris, Kaustuv Roy, Tim D. Smith, and Christine R. Whitcraft

Chapter 9: Whales, Logbooks, and DNA/ Stephen R. Palumbi

PART V FROM FISHERIES MANAGEMENT TO ECOSYSTEMS

Chapter 10: Management in the Gulf of Maine/ Andrew A. Rosenberg, Karen E. Alexander, and Jamie M. Cournane

Chapter 11: Lessons from Coral Reefs/ Enric Sala and Jeremy B. C. Jackson

Epilogue: Shifting Baselines for the Future Jeremy B. C. Jackson and Karen E. Alexander

Notes

Contributors

Index