Crimson Broadbill: Commercial Swordfishing the NW Atlantic

Rating:
Summary: after "THE HUNGRY OCEAN" and "THE PERFECT STORM"
Review: If you loved "The Hungry Ocean" or "The Perfect Storm," you'll love this book as well.

Dr.Thomas Armbruster's "The Crimson Broadbill-Commercial Swordfishing the NW Atlantic" is a great sea story told with humor, enlivened with vivid detail and re-enforced with a strong environmental message.

I think you can read this book on two levels. Since the author is a marine biologist and fisherman, he shares his love and knowledge of oceanic life and his excitement of fishing by taking us onboard the Defiance, a commercial longliner, to hunt the mighty swordfish. So it's a very interesting sea adventure on one level. However, on a deeper plane, the book reads as a primer,illustrating the delicate balance we must find and maintain between commerce and conservation. Dr. Armbruster details how we are destroying a vital resource as we continue to overfish our oceans and highlights the many pressures now impacting our oceans, our fishermen and ourselves. He makes the point that to continue exploitation of our oceans could be suicide for our planet.

"The Crimson Broadbill" makes an important and much-needed environmental statement about oceanic conservation in a highly entertaining and quick read. Whether you are a boater, fisherman, naturalist, biologist, conservationist, beach-goer, or just love a good sea tale, I highly recommend this book. I've learned a lot and will never take for granted our precious marine resources again!