The aquatic frontier : oysters and aquaculture in the progressive era /

Noted for a number of national reform movements, the Progressive Era also saw the origins of the modern environmental movement. In The Aquatic Frontier, Hanes (anthropology, Univ. of Maine) recounts how the concern for the long-term preservation of the environment found one of its first manifestations in attempts to regulate the oyster industry. Driven by concerns of overharvesting that threatened the entire industry, state governments and private organizations formulated various methods to regulate oyster cultivation. The most common was the creation of closely monitored and regulated fisheries where producers could promote the growth of oysters and allow natural oyster supplies to replenish on their own. Such plans, however, clashed with traditional notions of private ownership and resistance to government oversight. Consequently, Progressive attempts at regulation had only mixed success. This volume is an interesting blend of history, economics, and science, in which Hanes manages to merge these disparate fields into an effective study of early environmental advocacy. The book provides plentiful examples and facts to bolster its thesis, and contains a suitable number of maps, especially important as Hanes covers a wide geographical area in the text. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty; two-year technical program students. --Steven J. Ramold, Eastern Michigan University