Our Fragile Coastal Fisheries

About the Book

Don Phillips takes the reader on a broad tour of all the issues that are threatening the long-term survival of our coastal fisheries. Don's three years of research for this book have included dozens of interviews with fishery managers and biologists around the country in order to provide a balanced perspective on the health of our marine fish populations.

Our Fragile Coastal Fisheries Reviewer Comments:

Dan Blanton - Morgan Hill CA - Author and Fishing Consultant
"Whether you're an amateur conservationist or a hard-core degreed marine biologist, Our Fragile Coastal Fisheries by Don Phillips is a must read. It details in 10 chapters- ranging from The Ocean Environment to The Road to Recovery - volumes of useful information on the state of our coastal fisheries; where they've been, where they are and what their future holds. The book is a wonderful resource of detailed charts and statistics regarding both recreational and commercial fishing and their impacts upon our coastal fisheries. This book will leave you enlightened, but also with an ominous feeling that we need to change the way we humans are doing things, if our wondrous ocean fisheries are to survive mankind."

Chico Fernandez - Miami FL - Author and Fishing Consultant
"Don Phillips' Our Fragile Coastal Fisheries exposes us to a huge amount of neat and interesting information on the multi-dimensional problems of our coastal marine fisheries. A must-read for the angler who is truly concerned, and hopefully an inspiration for all of us to lend a hand in any way we can, before it's too late."

Ken Hanley - Fremont, CA - Author & Environmental Educator
"Education is the key to making good decisions. Don's impressive effort has given the public a valuable tool, to better understand our collective impact on coastal habitat and fisheries. His book showcases the issues everyone needs to address if we're to be effective stewards. It's not about pointing fingers....but, rather about building alliances and taking personal responsibility to achieve a common goal."

Ken Hinman - Leesburg VA - Author and President, National Coalition For Marine Conservation
"Don Phillips' new book rewards the reader with a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the coastal ecosystems that fish inhabit, and the profound ways in which man's activities affect them. It is a call for a broader approach to the way we manage our fisheries and for a deeper involvement from every one of us. Ultimately, Our Fragile Coastal Fisheries is about how the ocean gives us life, and how we must return the favor."

Lefty Kreh - Hunt Valley, MD - Author & Fishing Consultant
"Our Fragile Coastal Fisheries" is not a quick read. This book is crammed with incredibly detailed information concerning our threatened coastal fisheries. Everyone who fishes the inshore waters should read this book. But, more important, this is an astonishing tool for anyone who wants to understand the distressed condition of our inshore fisheries --- and how to combat many of the problems. Don Phillips has performed a real service for this resource and those who use or enjoy it."

Dr. Carl Safina - Amagansett NY - Author and President of the Blue Ocean Institute
"This book is much more than its title suggests. It is really an almanac that puts fishing in big-picture perspective. Its wide-ranging, context-setting information will make anglers smarter - and the fishing experience richer."

Lou Tabory - Ridgefield, CT - Author and Fishing Consultant
"This book contains a tremendous amount of information pertaining to the condition of our troubled fisheries. Phillips covers all the various effects that have altered the quality of our fishing. The book is a must-read for anglers that want to learn how and why the quality of their fishing has diminished; and some good solutions on how to improve our fishing and the declining saltwater environment."

R. P. Van Gytenbeek - Seattle, WA - Publisher & Fisherman
"For over 50 years, I've read everything I could about my passion --- fishing and the ecosystems that support it. From dusty tomes to the popular media, nothing much of note has escaped my attention. Now comes Don Phillips' new book, Our Fragile Coastal Fisheries. Good enough to be a college text, yet written in a clear concise style that would do credit to our best editors. Marine diversity, water quality, habitat, climate, commercial/recreational harvest and a hopeful discussion of the road to recovery; it's all here, along with excellent appendices. So read this one book, you gluttons for marine fisheries knowledge. You will find all that you seek, and enjoy the process."

Ted Williams - Grafton, MA - Conservation Editor & Fisherman
"It's not good enough to be passionate about marine fish; you also need to know what you're talking about. Our Fragile Coastal Fisheries provides you with all the data you'll need to back up your arguments. Phillips is a tireless, meticulous researcher, and he writes clearly and powerfully. This is a source that no serious advocate of the sea can afford to be without."

About the Author

Don Phillips was born in Tennessee, lived most of his life in New England, and is now retired in Southwest Florida. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a Mechanical Engineering degree in 1955 and received his Masters Degree in Business Management from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Hartford Graduate Center in 1970. Don has been an active saltwater sport fishermen for over 50 years and currently divides his time between fishing, golfing, traveling, and writing.

Phillips has written 23 fishing articles, published in various magazines, journals and newspapers. His two earlier books, The Technology of Fly Rods and Saltwater Fly Fishing from Maine to Texas, were published in 2000 and 2001, respectively.

Also visit Don Phillip's web site at www.cyberisle.com/tropical/angler.htm.