The Death and Life of Monterey Bay

This is an excellent book, a remarkable story about a remarkable place. The Monterey Bay, before the Europeans moved in, was incredibly rich in natural resources. One by one these were exploited, but through innovative and dedicated citizens, it has made an exemplary turnaround.

By the time the Spaniards arrived, the “First California Gold Rush” was taking all the otters for their fur. The book achieves a great mix of history with the biology of the local ecosystem. We read how otters can stay warm in the cold water, how sea urchins get around, and how the connectedness of life can be seen in the cascade of one overharvest and the rise and fall of other species. The greater environment of course makes this place unique, and its rhythm for a long time directed the livelihood of its citizens. The figures throughout the book add a lot, helping to demonstrate certain trends.

The problem of the whales was of particular interest to me. The historical harvest of gray whales did not result in the number of expected extant whales. I got excited when they turned to genetics, but the numbers still didn’t match the calculations based on previous estimates. This invites further pondering.

Turning to shellfish, I knew that abalone shells are beautiful, but I didn’t know much about the critters themselves. Squid were another natural resource, notably for the Chinese community, who dried and salted the creatures, making a big literal stink about it. The squid were used, however, to ship salt to China to evade the emperor’s tax. Such tidbits fill this book, along with the origins of names of places, like Lovers Point (formerly known as Lovers of Jesus Point). Quotes from Robert Louis Stevenson, the famous author and resident, are also mixed in to good effect.

One of the coolest people to influence this community was Dr. Julia Platt, who had to go to Germany for grad school because the U.S. wouldn’t have her. Julia did far more than shoot a few pesky stray chickens and tear down the wall that kept people from the beach. Perhaps her greatest contribution was the creation of the marine reserve, and the foresight that this would one day help the area recover. By then the canneries were in full swing, and the drying squid was just a prelude to the stench and pollution that would surround the massive and exhaustive sardine canning industry.

Ed Ricketts, Joseph Campbell, and John Steinbeck arrived on the scene. They happened to be in the same place and time as the canneries, though their thoughts were quite different from the dominant industry. Fellow Steinbeck fans will appreciate some of the stories behind the scenes. It is interesting to see how the friends’ shared philosophies entered his writing. Ed Ricketts was influential in his own right, and saw the big ecological picture before it came into focus.

One thing I really like about this book is that each chapter sets up the next. The last third of the book chronicles the recovery of Monterey Bay, including the conception and construction of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the first to showcase local flora and fauna. It is a celebration of nature’s beauty and of humans playing a positive role to keep it alive.