By chance I stumbled across a book published in 2022 by environmental journalist and campaigner Charles Oliver titled ‘Re-Wilding The Sea: How To Save Our Oceans’ and it has had a powerful impact on me. Having lived by the coast most of my life and despite a narrow escape when I was a child, this life-giving force has a great pull on me and has a great influence on my artwork.
‘Re-Wilding The Sea’ is the second book written by Charles Clover, the first having been published back in 2004 bearing the ominous title ‘The End Of The Line: How Over-Fishing Is Changing The World And What We Eat’.
Following research for this first book he was galvanised to establish a new, agile marine foundation, The Blue Marine Foundation to campaign for sustainable fishing practices and the creation of Marine Reserves around the world.
‘The End Of The Line’ served as a warning of the devastating consequences of industrialised over-fishing practices but Blue Marine is a young and energetic charitable foundation, able quickly to implement initiatives it believes can make a positive difference.
‘Re-Wilding The Sea,’ is uplifting and encouraging as the author examines and celebrates what happens when we simply step aside and allow nature to repair the damage caused by human greed in pursuit of unsustainable and harmful fishing practices.
The health of the ocean affects the very air we breathe and has a profound impact on us all. The positivity in this book is infectious and it is both humbling and inspiring to learn about the work being done to improve ocean health and to think about ways in which we can all get involved.
Nothing is simple in a complex world of so many competing interests; but knowledge is motivating and I highly recommend this very readable and enlightening book to everyone, wherever you live.
As Stephen Fry said in his review: ‘I doubt any more important book will be written this year.’ When you read the book, I think you’ll agree he’s right...
Read more about the Blue Marine Foundation here.