The Ocean's Whistleblower: The Remarkable Life and Work of Daniel Pauly

(Hardback)

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[Daniel Pauly] is an iconoclastic fisheries scientist ... who is so decidedly global in his life and outlook that he is nearly a man without a country.NEW YORK TIMES

Daniel Pauly is a friend whose work has inspired me for years.TED DANSON

Daniel Pauly is a living legend in the world of marine biology. He coined the influential term shifting baselines, in which knowledge of environmental disaster fades over time, leading to a misguided understanding of our world. He blew the whistle on the global fishing industry, alerting the public to the devastation of overfishing. And he developed data-driven research methods that led to groundbreaking discoveries.

Daniel Pauly is also a man whose life was shaped by struggle. Born after the Second World War to a white French woman and Black American GI in Paris, Paulys childhood has been described as Dickensian. His father left before he was born and his mother, whose family did not accept her and her mixed-race son, fell prey to a manipulative Swiss couple who abducted Pauly under murky circumstances. He was taken to Switzerland, where he was treated cruelly as the couples servant.

Pauly escaped to Germany to attend university and, as a young man, travelled to the United States during the 1969 civil rights movement, where he met his fathers family and experienced a political and racial reawakening. From there, he went on to have one of the most decorated careers in the field of marine biology. The Oceans Whistleblower weaves together the challenges of marine research with an astonishing coming-of-age story (Andrew Sharpless, Oceana) and is told through interviews with colleagues, friends, and Pauly himself. A brilliant book about a brilliant man, The Oceans Whistleblower finally profiles one of the most influential scientists of our time.

Reviews

Daniel Pauly may be the most prominent ocean advocate youve never heard of... The Oceans Whistleblower introduces a visionary scientist to a wider audience, showing that science-based decision making must lead action on climate change, environmental health, and food security. Foreword Reviews An extraordinary life story full of drama, globetrotting, perseverance, brilliance, and global influence. A page-turner. Enric Sala, author of The Nature of Nature and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Daniel [Pauly] is an intellectual and human hero. [His] insights on ocean conservation have changed the world. His life story will change you. Ted Danson, actor, ocean activist, and co-author of Oceana An amazing story, wonderfully told, part Dickens, part Darwin, part detective thriller. With all its ups and downs and scrapes with death, it would be fascinating as fiction. Astonishingly, its fact. Sam Waterston,actor and activist Splendid As if Oliver Twist fell into the sea and saved himself from drowning by swimming straight for science. By meticulously detailing Paulys milieu and travails, Grmillet shows how Pauly's mission to end the over-exploitation of the seas is inherently linked to this great thinker's struggles with injustice wherever it may arise. Paul Greenberg, New York Times bestselling author of Four Fish Praise for Daniel Pauly: [Daniel Pauly] is an iconoclastic fisheries scientist ... who is so decidedly global in his life and outlook that he is nearly a man without a country. New York Times

Author Bio

David Grmillet is an oceanographer and research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). He has authored numerous scientific publications, and this is his first book. He lives in France.