Marine Wildlife Conservation Ch 1-3 Notes

Chapter 1: Why Marine Conservation Biology?

• 1962: Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” demonstrated that “progress” from synthetic chemical pesticides is destroying the natural world

• 1872-76: Challenger expedition, looking for new sea creatures

• Historical loss of biodiversity, extinction of sea creatures

• Habitats like estuaries, coastal waters, and oceans not on conservation biologists’ “radar screens”

• Most attention on charismatic fish, crustaceans, mollusks, things that people eat, or whales, seabirds, sea turtles