ENVIRONMENT

THE WEALTH OF OCEANS by Michael L. Weber and Judith A. Gradwohl. (Norton: $25; 256 pp.) This book was inspired by the National Forum on Ocean Conservation, convened by the Smithsonian Institution in 1991. The “Ocean Planet,” a travelling exhibition opening at the Smithsonian this month, is part of the initiative. “The Wealth of Oceans” is an effort to outline, in a very small space, the issues surrounding ocean conservation and resource management: Exploration, global warming, coastal pollution, fisheries. Ever back-stage for authors Weber and Gradwohl (and most marine scientists) is the issue of data collection and monitoring for “compliance with water quality laws or with measures protecting vulnerable populations of marine wildlife.” Traditionally, information collection in the oceans has been carried out by the government for military purposes. These resources should be redirected, the authors argue, toward understanding issues such as global warming, species extinction, and sea-level rise (seawater expands as it gets warmer). The message in the section on the economy (which mostly describes the tension between commercial fishermen and species destruction--not unlike the tension between the loggers and the owls in the Pacific Northwest), seems to be a plea to end government subsidies that encourage exploitation and pollution, for example, exemptions from the fuel tax for commercial fisherman. On coastal habitat issues the authors argue for a “broader definition of the coastal zone that includes entire watersheds.” On pollution, they stress the importance of measuring probabilities of damage and levels of risk, for example the links between contaminants in the water and health risks to both marine species and humans. While they express a tremendous faith in the powers of modelling for decisionmaking and legislation, Malthus triumphs over technology (which can widen the parameters for growth but not render them infinite). There’s too much information and too little aesthetic, and not at all enough on the importance of protecting the legislation that protects the oceans: namely the Marine Mammals Protection Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Oil Pollution Prevention Act, all under serious attack from proponents of the Contract, who have not yet threatened to cancel Earth Day altogether.