THE EMPTY SEA THE FUTURE OF THE BLUE ECONOMY-ILARI

The “Blue Economy” describes all economic activities related to the sea, with a special emphasis on sustainability. Traditional activities such as fisheries, as well as undersea mining, tourism, and scientific research, are included, along with the phenomenal growth of aquaculture during the past decade. These activities—and the irresistible prospect of a new frontier—have led to enthusiastic, and most likely overenthusiastic, assessments of the possibilities to exploit the sea to feed the world, provide low‑cost energy, become a new source of minerals, and deliver other future miracles.

This book makes sense of these trends and of the future of the blue economy by following our remote ancestors who gradually discovered the sea and its resources. It describes the so‑called fisherman’s curse—why fishermen have always been poor—explains why humans tend to destroy the resources on which we depend, and assesses realistic expectations for extracting resources from the sea. Although the sea is not as badly overexploited as the land, our demands on ecosystem services are already above the oceans’ sustainability limits.

Some new ideas, including “fishing down” for untapped resources such as plankton, could lead to the collapse of the entire marine ecosystem. How Neanderthals crossed the sea in canoes, how five men in a small boat could kill a giant whale, what kind of oil the virgins of the Gospel put into their lamps, how a professor of mathematics, Vito Volterra, discovered the “equations of fishing,” why it has become so easy to be stung by a jellyfish while swimming, and how to play “Moby Dick,” a simple board game that simulates the overexploitation of natural resources, are just some of the questions you will be able to answer after reading this engaging and insightful book about the rapidly expanding relationship between humanity and the sea.