Suggested reading list?

[Sea Gristle]

Anybody have some suggestions on books they have enjoyed on fishing/ conservation /the Bay, etc? I need some more reading material!

Here are some to get started:

“The Secret life of lobsters� -Trevor Corson ( see previous post)

“Men’s Lives� Peter Matthiessen

Been a long time since I read it but it’s a history and portrayal of a disappearing way of life of the Long Island haul-siene fishermen. Some great stuff on the battle between the recreationals and the commercials. How the bluefish disappeared for a forty-year stretch and tidbits about like how striped bass used to be a trash fish!

“Chesapeake� -James A. Michener

An oldie but worth mentioning if there’s anybody who hasn’t read it. I found the decriptions of the changing bay ecology, crab mating,etc much more interesting than the "story" though. Made me wish I lived 100 years ago.

[Sea Gristle]

Watkins - just finished it-excellent. Thanks for the tip. Makes me sad though, the thirty years since it was written have not been kind to the crabbers or the Bay.

[billx8]

It's a little old now but the best thing going is "Song for the Blue Ocean" by Carl Safina. My all time favorite is "Alaska Blues" by Joe Upton but it is long out of print. Current and offbeat but OK in my book is "Fishing the 41st" author forgotten (its about freshwater trout fishing so off topic). There's also "Following the Run" or something to that effect by Benedetto that is about striped bass.

[Sea Gristle]

"Striper Wars: an American Fish Story: by Dick Russell

I didn't start fishing in the Bay until the end of the moratorium, so this was a great book for me to learn what lead up to that decision, various coastal states positions the ASFMC, etc. Counterbalances the recovery with a very dire outlook for striped bass in the future.

[Moorefun]

A couple very good fishing books that touch on conservation

1) Linda Greenlaw - The Hungry Ocean
2) Douglas Whynott - Giant Bluefin

A book somewhat similar to Striper Wars with more history

John McPhee - The Founding Fish

[Sea Gristle]

"The Philosopher Fish: Sturgeon, Caviar, and The Geography of Desire" -- by Richard Adams Carey

History and biology, Poaching, international smuggling - pretty facinating stuff. You'd think it was cocaine not fish eggs.

[Sea Gristle]

"The Oyster Wars of Chesapeake Bay" -- by John R. Wennersten

Whew. Man, what a sad and tragic tale. Police boats sinking oyster dredges (now called "Hand Scrapes") with cannons and machine guns? That s#*t's CRAZY! Really eye-opening about the rape of the resource and the mistrusting, non-cooperative ( or at least highly disputatious) nature VA & MD legislatures ( as far as the Bay goes).

[EShoreFF]

Try these

The Corps and the Shore---------Plixey/Dixon
The Founding Fish. Coming into Country=====John McPhee
The Fishermans' Ocean----------Ross

[Sea Gristle]

Cool. I'll check 'em out. I'm just starting "Wetland Riders" by Robert Fritchey, about the recreational conservation movement from a commercial perspective.

I must confess I've never read "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson (or have forgotten I've read it) so that's on my list as well.

[chesapeakeblend]

The best conservation book ever is A Sand County Almanac imho

mike