The Blue Revolution

Overfishing. For the world’s oceans, it’s long been a worrisome problem with few answers. Many of the global fish stocks are at a dangerous tipping point, some spiraling toward extinction. But as older fishing fleets retire and new technologies develop, a better, more sustainable way to farm this popular protein has emerged to profoundly shift the balance. The Blue Revolution tells the story of the recent transformation of commercial fishing: an encouraging change from maximizing volume through unrestrained wild hunting to maximizing value through controlled harvesting and farming. Entrepreneurs applying newer, smarter technologies are modernizing fisheries in unprecedented ways. In many parts of the world, the seafood on our plates is increasingly the product of smart decisions about ecosystems, waste, efficiency, transparency, and quality. Nicholas P. Sullivan presents this new way of thinking about fish, food, and oceans by profiling the people and policies transforming an aging industry into one that is “post-industrial”—fueled by “sea-foodies” and locavores interested in sustainable, traceable, quality seafood. Catch quotas can work when local fishers feel they have a stake in the outcome; shellfish farming requires zero inputs and restores nearshore ecosystems; new markets are developing for kelp products, as well as unloved and “underutilized” fish species. Sullivan shows how the practices of thirty years ago that perpetuated an overfishing crisis are rapidly changing. In the book’s final chapters, Sullivan discusses the global challenges to preserving healthy oceans, including conservation mechanisms, the impact of climate change, and unregulated and criminal fishing in international waters. In a fast-growing world where more people are eating more fish than ever before, The Blue Revolution brings encouraging news for conservationists and seafood lovers about the transformation of an industry historically averse to change, and it presents fresh inspiration for entrepreneurs and investors eager for new opportunities in a blue-green economy.

'Blue Revolution upturns some environmental applecarts - not for the hell of it, but so we can manage our environment better.' Fred Pearce, New Scientist This updated and revised edition of The Blue Revolution provides further evidence of the need to integrate land management decision-making into the process of integrated water resources management. It presents the key issues involved in finding the balance between the competing demands for land and water: for food and other forms of economic production, for sustaining livelihoods, and for conservation, amenity, recreation and the requirements of the environment. It also advocates the means and methodologies for addressing them. A new chapter, 'Policies, Power and Perversity,' describes the perverse outcomes that can result from present, often myth-based, land and water policies which do not consider these land and water interactions. New research and case studies involving ILWRM concepts are presented for the Panama Canal catchments and in relation to afforestation proposals for the UK Midlands.

As the world's demand for food from aquatic environments continues to increase, the importance of performing aquaculture in an environmentally responsible manner also increases. The aim of this important and thought-provoking book is to stimulate discussion among aquaculture's modern scientific, education and extension communities concerning the principles, practices and policies needed to develop ecologically and socially sustainable aquaculture systems worldwide. Ecological Aquaculture provides fascinating and valuable insights into primitive (and often sustainable) culture systems, and ties these to modern large-scale aquaculture systems. The book is edited, and authored to a considerable degree, by Barry Costa-Pierce who has assembled a team of some of the leading thinkers in the field, providing information spanning a spectrum of activities from artisanal to high technology approaches to producing aquatic organisms in a balanced and environmentally-friendly way. Ecological Aquaculture is an essential purchase for all aquaculture personnel involved in commercial, practical and research capacities. Libraries in research establishments and universities where aquaculture, biological, environmental and aquatic sciences are studied and taught should have copies of this book available on their shelves.

"Bangladesh's fish production has transformed over the past 20 years. Increased production has lowered prices and led to greater per capita protein consumption. The Making of a Blue Revolution in Bangladesh: The Enablers, Impacts, and the Path Ahead examines how this aquaculture transformation occurred; what the transformation's implications are for income distribution, poverty reduction, and food security; and what aquaculture's future potential is"--

This book provides comprehensive information on several dimensions of blue revolution in a structured form. Material provided in the book has been gathered from several relevant published sources and views expressed are based on practical field experience of the authors. Blue revolution would be one of the big game changers for the Indian economy. The subject of sustainable development of fisheries sector being very vast, concerted efforts have been made to accommodate all the relevant elements. Very little reading material with proper analysis is currently available and this book is expected to bridge the gap and project way-forward to achieve sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture in India under the blue revolution. The book is organised under 13 chapters covering wide ranging subjects that include fish production, processing, marketing, exports/imports of fishery products; ecolabelling; role of industry in promoting sustainability in fishing and aquaculture; sustainability issues in marine/inland fisheries/aquaculture; and fisheries regulations and legislations. Information has been provided on Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) particularly SDG 14 (Life Below Water); components of blue economy; Government of India fisheries development initiatives; and executive summary of recently launched PMMSY. Emerging plant and cell-based seafood segment; overall impacts of climate change; and impact of recent pandemic COVID-19 on fisheries and aquaculture are discussed under separate chapters. Finally, a chapter on ‘Way Forward’ is included that suggests practical management measures, technology infusion, technical interventions along with few innovative concepts and approaches towards achieving blue revolution. Note: T&F does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Americans see water as abundant and cheap: we turn on the faucet and out it gushes, for less than a penny a gallon. We use more water than any other culture in the world, much to quench what’s now our largest crop—the lawn. Yet most Americans cannot name the river or aquifer that flows to our taps, irrigates our food, and produces our electricity. And most don’t realize these freshwater sources are in deep trouble. Blue Revolution exposes the truth about the water crisis—driven not as much by lawn sprinklers as by a tradition that has encouraged everyone, from homeowners to farmers to utilities, to tap more and more. But the book also offers much reason for hope. Award-winning journalist Cynthia Barnett argues that the best solution is also the simplest and least expensive: a water ethic for America. Just as the green movement helped build awareness about energy and sustainability, so a blue movement will reconnect Americans to their water, helping us value and conserve our most life-giving resource. Avoiding past mistakes, living within our water means, and turning to “local water” as we do local foods are all part of this new, blue revolution. Reporting from across the country and around the globe, Barnett shows how people, businesses, and governments have come together to dramatically reduce water use and reverse the water crisis. Entire metro areas, such as San Antonio, Texas, have halved per capita water use. Singapore’s “closed water loop” recycles every drop. New technologies can slash agricultural irrigation in half: businesses can save a lot of water—and a lot of money—with designs as simple as recycling air-conditioning condensate. The first book to call for a national water ethic, Blue Revolution is also a powerful meditation on water and community in America.

In 1775, it seemed inconceivable that the American colonists could overcome the overwhelming military superiority of Great Britain. Yet the belligerent colonists were certain they could defeat the British army they so despised. On the other hand, their one great fear was that they would not be able to overcome the presence of the Royal Navy. Somehow though, the colonists were able to resist the British at sea, attract capable allies, and successfully conclude their quest for independence. The primary focus of this work is the period prior to 1779 before the French had come to the aid of the fledgling American nation—when the Blue Water Patriots confronted the Royal Navy alone, relying on little more than ingenuity and courage. In 1775, it was inconceivable that the American colonists could have overcome the overwhelming military superiority of Great Britain. Yet the belligerent colonists seemed certain that they could defeat the British army they so despised. On the other hand, the one great fear shared by all colonists was that they would not be able to overcome the presence of the Royal Navy. Yet, somehow, the colonists were able to resist the British at sea, attract capable allies to aid them, and successfully conclude their quest for independence. The American Revolution can safely be viewed as part of a prolonged worldwide naval conflict between France and Britain beginning with the Glorious Revolution in 1688 and ending with the British victory at Trafalgar in 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars. This was a period in which the armed merchantmen of the age of trade were replaced by genuine warships whose task was to control the sea lanes. The American Revolution was a watershed in this regard with improved warship designs, new technologies, improved gunpowder and communications, and innovative tactics. Although French participation in the war for independence was crucial, the primary focus of this work is the period before 1779, when the colonists confronted the Royal Navy alone with only their ingenuity and courage to defend them. Every school child knows that the American Revolution began on Lexington Green in April, 1775, but how many are aware that in 1764 a Royal Navy cutter, St. John, engaged in the suppression of smuggling, was fired upon by Rhode Islanders; that in 1769, the revenue sloop Liberty was seized and burned by the people of Newport; or that in 1772, the navy cutter Gaspee was burned in the night by armed patriots attacking from small boats. These Blue Water Patriots fought the first battles on the road to American independence. This is their story.

This book traces the history of bird guano, demonstrating how this unique commodity helped unite the Pacific Basin with the industrialized world.