Seaweed Chronicles

 Shirley J.              Adult Non-Fiction       Everything you ever wanted to know about seaweed

Seaweed Chronicles: A World at the Water's Edge by Susan Hand Shetterly   271 pages

This was such an engaging book I enjoyed it from cover to cover.   The author takes the reader along the Maine coast and introduces each of the seaweed species that grow there.   She also discusses several species of fish and other forms of aquatic life that is dependent on various seaweeds as part of their ecosystems.  Sadly seaweed is being over harLegislation at this time still favors vested and many of the coastal coves etc. are losing  their natural seaweeds though several conservationists are doin g their best to repopulate it.   There is such a demand for seaweed throughout the world as food, medication, in beauty products etc. that the five countries currently supplying the world's markets continue to deplete nature's supply.  Legislation continues to favor big business over the smaller harvesters who do their best not to over do it when sharing nature's bounty but leave enough for the seaweed to thrive and return.  Corporations and Canadian harvesters are going into the Maine coastal areas and completely depleting the resources without fear of legal repercussions.   Such an interesting tale of another of nature's fight to be against man's greed.     I recommend this book to middle schoolers on up especially to those who want to conserve natures' bounty.