Eye of the Albatross

With one of the planet's most alluring birds as his guide, America's foremost chronicler of marine life captures the embattled ocean world.On a wingspan of up to eleven feet, the albatross can travel as far as five thousand miles without stopping. But until recently, little was known about the albatross's far-flung flights. Now, award-winning author Carl Safina takes us to the higher latitudes to explain what marine animals like the albatross can tell us about the health of our oceans....
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With one of the planet's most alluring birds as his guide, America's foremost chronicler of marine life captures the embattled ocean world.On a wingspan of up to eleven feet, the albatross can travel as far as five thousand miles without stopping. But until recently, little was known about the albatross's far-flung flights. Now, award-winning author Carl Safina takes us to the higher latitudes to explain what marine animals like the albatross can tell us about the health of our oceans. Eye of the Albatross takes us soaring to locales where whales, sea turtles, penguins, and shearwaters flourish in their own quotidian rhythms. Safina's guide and inspiration is a bird he calls Amelia, whose life he portrays in fascinating detail. Interwoven with recollections of whalers and famous explorers, Eye of the Albatross probes the unmistakable environmental impact of the encounters between man and marine life. Though no place remains untouched by us, fishing restrictions and habitat protection have signaled positive gains for albatrosses and several other marine animals. Safina's portrait combines the authority and drama of Rachel Carson with Peter Matthiessen's perceptive skill. The result is a transforming ride to the ends of the Earth and an urgent appeal to preserve the wild oceans while there is stilltime.