What the Wild Sea Can Be: The Future of the World’s Ocean

This pragmatic study from marine biologist Scales (The Brilliant Abyss) examines how humans are endangering marine life and what might be done to save it. Noting that emperor penguins need to stay out of freezing Antarctic water for the several weeks per year they spend molting, Scales explains that a warmer climate will lead sea ice to break up prematurely, forcing penguins into the ocean before they have sufficient feathers to survive the frigid temperatures. Elsewhere, Scales describes how overfishing has depleted shark populations and how orcas are falling prey to toxic PCB chemicals once used in pesticides and paints that have leached from landfills into the ocean. Balancing the gloominess of the case studies with a robust and cautiously hopeful overview of how humans save these and other oceanic species, Scales recommends imposing an international legally binding cap on plastics production and strictly limiting deep-sea mining. She’s clear-eyed about the threats facing the ocean and remarkably forthright about the sacrifices required to protect it. For instance, she argues that readers should accept rising costs and declining availability for certain seafoods as an unfortunate but unavoidable by-product of necessary measures to regulate industrial fishing and preserve ocean ecosystems. This will galvanize readers. Agent: Margaret Sutherland Brown, Folio Literary Management. (July)