272 pages
6 x 9
14 illustrations, 1 au photo
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.
"Consumers who want to understand where their seafood comes from and how it is being sustained will appreciate Sullivan’s reporting."
Booklist
"In The Blue Revolution, Nicolas Sullivan provides a different, more nuanced narrative of US fishing."
Science
"The US has the fourth-longest ocean coastline worldwide but a history of failed fisheries management and sea farming and imports 85 percent of its seafood. This book, the product of five years of research, brings encouraging news without glossing over realities."
Choice
"The Blue Revolution is a treatise on how synergisms among science, technology, markets, and regulations might mitigate overfishing and some impacts of climate change while providing seafood to the world. The book’s many case studies provide grounds for optimism."
Human Ecology
"Well-researched book…. well worth reading for anyone interested in where seafood comes from. They might be surprised by the background story of the fish on their plate."
Biologist
"Through the Blue Revolution, an important intersection of innovation, global food security, and climate resilience is brought to life. Supporting the change-makers in fisheries and aquaculture is one of the keys to moving toward a more resilient and equitable low-carbon future."
Alissa Peterson, Cofounder and Executive Director, SeaAhead
"Nick Sullivan casts a wide net with The Blue Revolution, capturing the dynamic past, present and future of marine food economies. This concise study gives us a glimpse of what opportunity lies beneath the horizon and suggests the course we must chart for the ocean to sustain us."
Barton Seaver, Author of American Seafood
"Blue Revolution presents a comprehensive view of the varied stakeholders working to bring forth the incredible resources of the ocean. Whether a chef, fisherman, environmentalist, seafood lover, or a combination of all, you will find joy and knowledge in this well-researched book."
Laura Foley Ramsden, Fourth-Generation Fishmongress, Foley Fish
"The seafood industry is something that communities should be proud of: a renewable natural resource that feeds millions of people and is still mostly harvested by small, family owned businesses. This book serves as an important reminder of how lucky we are."
Jared Auerbach, CEO, Red’s Best
Preface
Part 1: Wild-Capture Fisheries
Chapter 1. Sacred Cod, Sustainable Scallops
Chapter 2. Changing Rules for a Changing Ecosystem
Chapter 3. As the Cowboys of the Sea Fade Away, a Postindustrial Fishery Emerges
Chapter 4. Eating with the Ecosystem
Chapter 5. The Silicon Valley of Cod (and Other Innovation Clusters)
Chapter 6. Run, Herring, Run: Restoring the Marine Food Web
Part 2: Farmed Finfish, Shellfish, and Sea Greens
Chapter 7. The Blue Revolution and Atlantic Salmon
Chapter 8. Fish for a Small Planet
Chapter 9. The Beauty of Filter-Feeding Bivalves
Chapter 10. Kelp—for Food, Fuel, Pharma
Chapter 11. The Holy Grail: Farming the Open Ocean
Part 3: Global Challenges: Criminals, Climate, Conservation
Chapter 12. Big Data versus Pirates on the High Seas
Chapter 13. Conservation and Climate, Adaptation and Resilience
Acknowledgments
Notes
About the Author
Index
For the world's oceans, overfishing is a worrisome problem. Many global fish stocks are at a dangerous tipping point, some spiraling toward extinction. But there is a new way to think about fish, food, and oceans. The Blue Revolution tells the story of the recent transformation of commercial fishing, where entrepreneurs are applying newer, smarter technologies to modernize fisheries in unprecedented ways that relieve overstressed oceans.
Nicholas P. Sullivan presents this new way of thinking by profiling the people and policies transforming an aging industry into one fueled by "sea-foodies" and locavores interested in sustainable, traceable, quality seafood, 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 entrpreneurs and investors eager for new opportunities in a blue-green eceonomy.
SAWYER FREE LIBRARY AUTHOR TALK: Nicholas P. Sullivan
Nicholas Sullivan is an author and senior research fellow at The Fletcher School at Tufts University. His recent book, The Blue Revolution, presents a new way of thinking about fish, food, and oceans by profiling the people and policies transforming this industry into one that is “post-industrial”—fueled by “sea-foodies” and locavores interested in sustainable, traceable, quality seafood.
LOCATION: Main Floor
CONTACT: Beth Pocock -- bpocock@sawyerfreelibrary.org
Global fish consumption increased 122 percent between 1990 and 2018, and that upward trend is expected to continue. A technology-driven transformation of the fishing industry will play a critical role in feeding a growing population while sustaining ocean resources.
Nicholas Sullivan has surveyed the people, policies, and technologies that are modernizing commercial fishing to prioritize value over volume through controlled harvesting and farming instead of unrestrained hunting. He's done this through his book, The Blue Revolution: Hunting, Harvesting, and Farming Seafood in the Information Age In Sullivan’s OneHealth talk, he’ll showcase the fishermen, entrepreneurs, and investors forging new opportunities in the blue-green economy.
Download the annotated table of contents and study/exam questions here or read them below.
In an opinion piece written in collaboration with the Urban Resilience Project, Nicholas Sullivan (author of The Blue Revolution) shares how leadership from the federal government can help support marine aquaculture in the U.S.
Writes Sullivan:
"The supply of wild fish has been steady for the last three decades, but aquaculture is the fastest growing form of food production in the world. The U.S. has a minuscule share of the global market and is ranked 18th in the world. Developing a more robust marine-aquaculture industry would increase the supply of domestic, fresh fish; help reduce the seafood-trade deficit; provide a product farmed to higher environmental standards; and create jobs in coastal communities."
Read the full article published on The Hill HERE.