A Storm in the Port

The ocean resources on which we depend for food, commerce, transport, and recreation are not limitless, nor are ocean waters capable of continual self-cleansing. Alex Lechich makes it painfully clear that the world's oceans are, in fact, in desperate peril: fish stocks are overexploited, other marine resources are depleted, habitat is being lost or its resilience is declining, water contamination is pervasive, and the economic and human costs related to ocean decline are escalating. All of these considerations contributed to a dangerous shipping crisis that threatened the Port of New York and New Jersey's very viability in the early 1990s. Modern navigational channels and shipping berths must be periodically dredged. Historically, the millions of cubic yards of frequently contaminated muds and sands regularly removed in this way have been dumped at sea. When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency imposed tighter restrictions on ocean dumping in the 1990s, almost all dredging halted, putting the Port of New York and New Jersey's standing as one of the busiest cargo ports in the nation at risk.
The crisis was temporarily abated by a Vice President Al Gore - sponsored agreement between environmental groups and government agencies, but many of the original problems remain. Accessibly written by a scientist intimately familiar with these dramatic events, "A Storm in the Port" explains the origins, escalation, and specific and broad implications of this port crisis. Lechich explains the science and environmental concerns that come into play, considers solutions to complex dilemmas, and makes clear the desperate need for new ocean policies that tread the delicate line between protecting the world's oceans and preserving their economic and recreational value. This urgently needed book is poised to heighten regional and national interest in ocean policy and related issues, and promote the sustainable use and enjoyment of the world's oceans. It will be essential reading for professional and lay students of oceans and environmental policy.