Scott D. Kraus is Director, Edgerton Research Laboratory at New England Aquarium. Rosalind M. Rolland is Senior Scientist/Policy Analyst, Global Marine Programs and Research at New England Aquarium.
[T]his book deserves to be studied with care by all marine
biologists, but certainly read as well by everyone concerned with
the cavalier relationship we have with the wildlife with which we
share the planet.--Arthur Westing"Brattleboro Informer"
(03/08/2007)
In all, the authors have done an admirable job in putting this
volume together. It is a visual delight, with a nice section of
color plates in the Lentex, and well reproduced black and white
illustrations throughout. The book succeeds in being a valuable
reference to those in the field, by providing a useful summary of
our current knowledge. It also serves as a valuable work for
students, both undergraduate and graduate, by providing them with
promising avenues of study that could be undertaken to advance our
state of knowledge. It is also a powerful tool for managers who
need this compendium at their fingertips...[It] should be on the
shelf of everyone with an interest in this highly endangered and
urbanized whale species.--Mason Weinrich"Marine Technology Society
Journal" (04/01/2007)
Some readers might be put off by a book of nearly 600 pages written
by a group of 35 scientists, but they shouldn't be, at least in the
case of "The Urban Whale". Those who have seen a whale, or hope to
see one someday, will find much of interest in this comprehensive
resource on North Atlantic right whales...[T]here are captivating
descriptions of right whale behavior and clear, concise summaries
throughout this book, as well as 32 pages of color photographs and
illustrations.--Lee Bumsted"Gulf of Maine Times" (07/01/2007)
The book has been superbly edited, and to my mind each chapter is
as clear, concise, informative, and downright pleasant to read as
the next. While it is certainly a science treatise written by the
world's experts on the species, there is much intelligently
summarized information, and very little in the way of primary
figures and tables to bog us down. Instead, black and white photos
are sprinkled throughout, and a color plate section occurs in the
middle, to illustrate the whales themselves, their behavior,
research techniques, and aspects of habitat such as temperature and
chlorophyll. Each chapter begins with a personal vignette, in
logbook fashion, of an experience with a particular whale, a
thought about conservation management needs, or a similar
non-scientific treatise. These notes lend a personal, almost
romantic, air to the text...I recommend "The Urban Whale" for all
those interested in whales, problems of fishing and shipping, and
marine vertebrate conservation. I also recom
Whales depend on sound for intraspecies communication, and
according to one of the studies republished in this book "the
chance of two animals hearing each other today has been reduced to
10 percent of what it was one hundred years ago." Add imprecise
(but real) threats such as general habitat loss and degradation,
and, of course, climate change, and you begin to understand why the
North Atlantic right whale is under siege. Will we stand by and
watch the last of the great whales vanish? Scott D. Kraus and
Rosalind M. Rolland, who wrote the final chapter of "The Urban
Whale", are not optimistic, but they are not without hope.--Richard
Ellis"Times Literary Supplement" (09/28/2007)
I recommend "The Urban Whale" for anyone interested in whales,
problems of fishing and shipping, and marine vertebrate
conservation. I also suggest it for students and educators who wish
to discover firsthand how superb thought and editing can produce
one of the finest books on a marine mammal I have read in quite
some time. -- Bernd Wursig "Quarterly Review of Biology"
(09/01/2007)
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