Tidal Life: A Natural History of the Bay of Fundy

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

On Fundy, the tide dominates all life, from single-celled algae to man,
from the myriad mud shrimp (63,000 per square metre of mudflat) to the
extremely rare right whale.

In examining this unique piece of Canada’s geography, Thurston has
produced a substantial work, packed with facts, atmosphere, anecdotes,
human interest items, and—throughout—reasoned arguments against
harnessing the Fundy tides as a power source.

The Bay of Fundy, which cuts between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, is
home to the world’s highest tides and to the famous tidal bore. But
Fundy is more than water: it is rich in fish, shellfish, sea and shore
birds, plants, sea mammals, interesting architecture, hard-working
people, and lifestyles shaped by the relentless, timeless tides.

With a style that verges on the poetic, Thurston examines in detail
specifics such as brush weir “farming,” peeps (semipalmated
sandpipers), shad, clam digging, fossils, salt marshes, dulse gathering,
and so on. Regardless of the facet of Fundy he’s examining, he
projects the same argument: put a power dam on Fundy, and this unique
ecology will be irreparably upset.

An attractive design and good typography and photography add to the
quality and quantity of the information, giving the sense that the
people who created this book had a passionate concern for their subject.
The result is a sense of the area’s terrific value, packaged with
empathy.