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Rating: 
Summary: Beautifully written, accesible history and science
Review: "Listening to the Sea" describes the gradual development of territorial sea limits that grew outof military, then fishery protection, concerns that have no relevance whatever to the proper governance of the sea and its resources but which continue to this day to create boundaries where none really exist. Wilder presents a wealth of historical information in a way that is easy to read and retain. He traces the history of federal-state struggles concerning authority over the exploitation of offshore oil and other resources which underpin current issues about the proper uses of the outer continental shelf and how to allocate federal funds related to OCS. Wilder follows the development of US environmental legislation and the inernational agreements that increasingly are required to find solutions to problems that extend across the "notional" borders nations have created at sea, arguing for an emphasis on prevention rather than cure, the extension of the precautionary principle to all national and international rule-making, and the development of a "holistic" approach to all questions involving the seas and the wildlife that live in them. This covers the substance to be found in the book, but not its effect. It is beautifully written. It's hard to avoid a sense that Wilder may be overoptimistic about the potential for the development of a more "enlightened self interest" to prevail in the governance of the oceans. But "Listening to the Seas" does leave you feeling better about the future and possibilities for scientists and policymakers to work together and for international agreements that might begin to turn around some of the awful trends we've seen in the last 20 years. While things have changed for the worse environmentally, they have changed greatly for the better in terms of the public's recognition of those facts and issues.
Rating: 
Summary: Listen to Listening to the Sea
Review: In this book, a must-read for anyone interested in the sea, Robert Jay Wilder gives us a new and rational slant on the problems and stewardship of the oceans. Rather than painting scapegoats, he gives the reader an unbiased history of current maritime dangers ( from overfishing to competing maritime bureaucracies), and then presents sensible solutions.'Listening to the Sea' doesn't blame, it heals. Along the way, there are many pearls to keep things interesting - from cannon range leading to the three-mile limit to how fuel cells work. The meat of the book lies in its clear outlining of the precautionary principle, the philosophy underlying sensible reform of our relationship to the oceans. Wilder makes a compelling claim that combining this with an integrated management plan that uses marine reserves, something akin to Australia's approach to the Great Barrier Reef, offers the best chance to save our oceans.
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