Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Book review
Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem
M. Sinclair, G. Valdimarsson (Eds.); FAO and CAB
International, Wallingford, 2003, 448 pages, hardback,
ISBN 0 85199 633 7 (CAB International), ISBN 925
104767 7 (FAO), US$ 140
In the debate on how to rescue marine fisheries, the
possibility of ecosystem-based management currently
tops the agenda, but like all concepts with succinctly
attractive titles, its meaning is far from clear, and the
way to its practical application even less so. In October 2001 a conference was held in Iceland which
focused on marine fisheries management, aiming in
particular to review relevant knowledge on ecosystems, discuss how such knowledge might be used, and
consider future challenges. A brief report on this was
published in Fisheries Research in 2002 (vol. 58,
no. 3), and the book now under review presents the
conference papers. While most of the 35 papers were
given by scientists, it is clear from the foreword, and
indeed from the books contents, that the conference
was aimed at politicians and administrators, although
representatives of the industry and NGOs were also
present. The volume is divided into four parts.
The first presents five introductory reviews. It begins with a global overview of marine fisheries, which
reiterates the now well known pessimistic assessment
of resources, recalls how we reached this position, and
notes that we must manage what we have got, since
no other fishing area or resource remains to be discovered. This is backed up by a chapter on the ecosystem
management approach which outlines relevant global,
regional and national activities. It is followed by contributions from the perspectives of the large-scale industry (which, we are told, is responsibly and conservatively managed, at least in the USA North Pacific)
and then from small-scale fisheries, which feel that
they have much to offer and deserve more recognition.
The final review brings in the environmentalists, and
0165-7836/$ see front matter 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2003.08.002
208
Book review
Book review
209
A.D. McIntyre
Department of Zoology, University of Aberdeen
Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen
Scotland AB24 2TZ, UK
Tel.: +44-1224-645633; fax: +44-1224-620656
E-mail address: a.d.mcintyre@abdn.ac.uk
(A.D. McIntyre)
21 August 2003