World Without Fish: Introduction and Chapter 1

by Mark Kurlansky
In this book, Mark Kurlansky explores threats to the world's oceans and fish populations and describes ways that young people can support sustainable fishing.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Introduction and Chapter 1, Chapters 2-4, Chapters 5-8, Chapters 9-11
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. dominate
    be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance
    He did not see nature as particularly nice or kind, but as a cruel system in which species attempt to kill and dominate other species in order to secure the survival of their own kind.
  2. biodiversity
    the variety of plant and animal life in a habitat
    In science, it is known that life depends on a large variety. This is known as biodiversity.
  3. variation
    an organism that has characteristics resulting from mutation
    Darwin's great contribution was to understand that in the struggle for survival, nature puts out variations: the species that successfully adapt through the use of variations survive, and the others become extinct.
  4. minuscule
    very small
    Each shift, sometimes as minuscule as a shift in the wind, day by day — even hour by hour — changed the order of nature.
  5. evolution
    sequence of events involved in the development of a species
    It is out of this process, known as evolution, that monkeys eventually developed into human beings.
  6. unforeseen
    not anticipated
    Even the smallest changes can have unforeseen results that are extremely difficult to change back.
  7. translucent
    allowing light to pass through diffusely
    Coral reefs are made up of coral polyps, tiny, soft-bodied translucent animals related to sea anemones and jellyfish.
  8. cataclysm
    an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
    Nevertheless, considering overfishing, pollution, and global warming, the entire system of ocean life could completely unravel within a relatively short time — and then we would be helpless spectators to a cataclysm.
  9. predator
    any animal that lives by preying on other animals
    Schools of tuna are known to swim near or alongside dolphins for protection against predators, such as sharks.
  10. scarcity
    a small and inadequate amount
    Some of the most highly evolved tropical seabirds seem peculiarly built for a world with a scarcity of prey.
  11. disgorge
    eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth
    They're graceful fliers — but very awkward on land — that would probably survive for a while because, though much of their food consists of fish (they harass gulls and other birds to disgorge their meals). they also eat jellyfish.
  12. endemic
    native; originating where it is found
    This species of petrel, endemic to Chile, is now on several endangered watch lists.
  13. prehistoric
    belonging to or existing before recorded times
    As evolution reversed itself, worse things than jellyfish would flourish, including prehistoric bacteria.
  14. impact
    have an effect upon
    And this would eventually impact land-based mammals, including us.
  15. predicament
    an unpleasant or difficult situation
    But before we know what to change and how to change it, we need to understand how we got into this predicament in the first place.
Created on Wed Nov 15 17:03:20 EST 2017 (updated Fri Jun 20 15:27:28 EDT 2025)

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