World Without Fish: A Review

World Without Fish by Mark Kurlansky is a young adult book about the destruction that is happening in our oceans and the depletion of fish on a global scale. I grabbed this book on a whim one day as I passed by it at the library. One of the environmental science courses I teach talks a lot about the decline of ecosystems, including oceans, and the problem of overfishing in general. And, as a vegetarian who eats fish, I know that I am contributing to this overfishing problem. So, I thought it couldn't hurt to learn a few more of the details on this subject.
The book is interesting as the author is an ex-fisherman, and so he knows the topic from a point of view that most scientists don't. And, as an ex-fisherman, he doesn't think that stopping fishing is the solution to the overfishing problem.. instead he focuses on a more sustainable, monitored approach to fishing.
Being a young adult book, it was easy and quick reading. The author did a great job of breaking up the book into topics... like the beginning of the fishing industry, the politics behind fishing, sustainable fishing, pollution and global warming. Each chapter was long enough to explain the topic in depth, without boring the (assumed to be young) reader with too many details. Excellent for the young budding scientist!
Despite the fact that this is a book for young readers, and I was already quite familiar with the subject, I still learned quite a bit from this book. Until reading World Without Fish I hadn't really made the connection on how overfishing is also messing up the lives of other non-oceanic species (like certain birds who depend on fish being forced to the ocean surface by predatory fish) and even the within-ocean connections, like the fact that dolphins depend on blue-fin tuna to find food. Everything on our planet is connected, and you can't simply exterminate one species without it having a cascade effect through the food chain.
This is a great informative book for youngsters who are ready to get involved with environmental issues, or a great easy read for adults who want to learn more about the decline of our fisheries.