We Are All Whalers

To commemorate this year's Earth Day, we examine the ongoing endangerment of whale species and the conservation efforts we all can support

We Are All Whalers: The Plight of Whales and Our Responsibility

Moore, Michael J. Chicago, 2021
224p bibl index, 9780226803043 $25.00, 9780226803180 $24.99

We Are All Whalers: The Plight of Whales and Our Responsibility book cover

This is the book all conservationists wish they could emulate. Through compelling personal narrative, Moore (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), a marine veterinarian, informs readers about the biology, life cycle, and human-caused threats that critically endanger the survival of North Atlantic right whales as a species. The book is easy to read, as the writing is superb and the narrative engaging, yet it is packed with facts and data. What may be most notable about this text is the author’s sensitivity not only to the species he covers but also to all stakeholders in whale conservation, from indigenous hunters to commercial fishers. It is a thoughtful treatise that, through fact-based analysis, leads readers to confront the root of the problem—choices consumers make in a post-industrial society. This reviewer strongly commends the book to all readers, especially students and scholars in relevant disciplines. The book has obvious value to marine biologists and veterinarians, not to mention whale conservation organizations. However, all conservation practitioners and journalists will benefit from reading it. Moore offers a most outstanding example of communicating science to advance conservation.

Summing Up: Essential. All readers.
Reviewer: 
J. Organ, emeritus, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Interdisciplinary Subjects: Environmental Studies, Food and Agriculture
Subject: Science & Technology – Biology – Zoology
Choice Issue: Jul 2022


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