Blue Frontier : Saving America's Living Seas

by David Helvarg

Oceans cover over 71% of the earth’s surface, absorb far greater amounts of carbon dioxide than rain forests, and exert a powerful control over climate, clouds, and weather. Yet our living oceans are imperiled as never before, plagued by overfishing, reckless development, and pollution. Will future generations be able to enjoy the riches of our nation’s greatest environmental treasure?

A fascinating account of America’s oceans and ocean politics, Blue Frontier explores the impact of history, commerce and policy on marine life - and by extension all life on earth. From the legacy of Navy-funded ocean research and development since World War II to the latest controversies surrounding beach closures, collapsing fish stocks, killer algae, hurricanes, and oil spills, Blue Frontier takes readers on an adventure-filled tour of America’s last great wilderness range.

Helvarg argues that sensible policies can still halt the onslaught of industrial destruction, despite today’s wide-open development along our coasts and in our offshore waters. Profiling the growing number of coastal citizen-activists, local
governments, and waterfront communities that are working to protect and restore healthy seas for all of us, he shows how informed individuals can make a difference.

An impassioned call for a new approach to ocean stewardship, Blue Frontier is essential reading for anyone interested in saving our maritime culture and heritage.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published April 30, 2001

About the author

David Helvarg is Executive Director of Blue Frontier and the author of six books: Blue Frontier, The War against the Greens, 50 Ways to Save the Ocean, Rescue Warriors, Saved by the Sea and The Golden Shore. He is editor of the Ocean and Coastal Conservation Guide, organizer of ‘Blue Vision’ Summits for ocean activists and the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards (co-hosted with Wendy Benchley), and winner of Coastal Living Magazine’s 2005 Leadership Award and the 2007 Herman Melville Literary Prize.

Helvarg worked as a war correspondent in Northern Ireland and Central America, covered a range of issues from military science to the AIDS epidemic, and reported from every continent including Antarctica. An award-winning journalist, he produced more than 40 broadcast documentaries for PBS, The Discovery Channel, and others. His print work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, LA Times, Smithsonian, National Geographic, Popular Science, Sierra, and Parade. He’s done radio work for Marketplace, AP radio, and Pacifica. He has led workshops for journalists in Poland, Turkey, Tunisia, Slovakia and Washington DC. He is a licensed Private Investigator, body-surfer and scuba diver.