Book Review - The Empty Ocean
Richard Ellis • Island Press 2003

Stephanie Showalter, J.D., M.S.E.L.

Dead zones, coral bleaching, fisheries collapses, widespread poaching. Every day it seems humanity drives another nail into the coffin. In The Empty Ocean, Richard Ellis tracks humanity’s historic assaults on and the current threats to the resources of the world’s oceans. Be warned: if you are looking for a neutral account of the current state of marine affairs, this book is not for you. Richard Ellis is a passionate conservationist, whose disbelief at humanity’s apparently insatiable appetite for marine resources is visible on each and every page. However, if you have ever been curious about how shark cartilage became known as a cure for cancer, the emergence of a barndoor skate commercial fishery, or the transformation of the Patagonian toothfish into Chilean Sea Bass, one of the most sought-after fish in the world, The Empty Ocean should be your next purchase.

Richard Ellis spares no detail. His accounts of the declines of many species, such as the Stellar sea cow, the sea otter, and the sperm whale, start with “first contact” by Europeans, and continue to present day. From shipwreck survivors reporting the riches of the Bering Sea back to their homelands to fishermen focusing on new prey, the stories always play out the same way. Overharvesting of a limited resource leads to scarcity and, in a few cases, extinction. The numbers are astounding. An estimated seven million dolphins have been killed due to interactions with the tuna industry and more than 5.2 million fur seals were killed by North American sealers alone. Encountering those kinds of numbers in almost every fishery, it was easy to accept the initial belief of fisherman, whalers, and sealers that the ocean’s bounty was inexhaustible.

Despite the tolls taken by fishing, whaling, sealing, and pollution, not all hope is lost. The ecosystems of the oceans are amazing and often, when left alone or with a little help, marine resources have the ability to return from the brink of disaster. Whenever possible, Ellis includes success stories. Here are just a few covered by Ellis: the rebounding of southern elephant seal populations; the recovery of the sea urchin, Diadema, in Jamaica; the survival of the fur seals; and the reduction of dolphin takes associated with the tuna fishery in the Eastern Tropical Pacific.

The Empty Ocean is more than a history book. Interspersed with references to scientific reports and eyewitness journals, are literary references revealing the important role played by the oceans in the lives of many of the world’s great writers. Quotes from Jack London’s Sea Wolf, Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, and Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book add a unique dimension to what could have been a dry, depressing dissertation filled with population estimates and scientific names. Further enhanced with illustrations by the author himself, The Empty Ocean is a worthy addition to anyone’s bookshelf.

Richard Ellis is a Research Associate at the American Museum of Natural History. He served as a member of the American delegation to the International Whaling Commission from 1980 to 1990 and is the author of many books, including Monsters of the Sea, The Search for the Giant Squid, and Aquagensis.