Beyond the Whales: The Photographs and Passions of Alexandra Morton

Monika Rohlmann is an environmental consultant in Victoria, B.C.

Alexandra Morton is a marine biologist with a passion and talent for
writing and photography. For more than 20 years she has lived on the
central British Columbia coast, first as a whale researcher and more
recently as an educator, advocate, and conservationist of the coastal
ecosystem. She is well known for her slide shows, film and television
appearances, and magazine columns.

Twelve chapters, beautifully illustrated with photographs, build a
bridge of facts and stories between reader and ecosystem. Surprising
snippets of information hide among the photo captions and story text.
Did you know that an orca’s eyesight is as good as a cat’s? Ever
wonder why whales evolved with such large brains in a cold-water
environment? Or how a hummingbird has the energy and guidance to find
lift in a strong westerly wind while travelling eastward from island to
mainland? What miracle allowed the sardine population to return to the
West Coast after a 50-year absence? Do coastal children develop callused
feet, sharpened eyes, and a disposition for cold water swimming? Is
sustainable logging an oxymoron? Aren’t Atlantic salmon the same as
Pacific salmon, with the only difference being the water’s name? How
have people become so disconnected from the living, breathing molecules
of their natural surroundings? Hungrily, in our ignorance, we devour
life resources in our desperate search for place and meaning in the
world.

This is the finest book I have ever read in my 20 years as reader and
reviewer of environmental books. The writing is superb and flashes off
the page in poetic, subtle droplets of wisdom. The photographs enhance
the message, drawing the eye to otherwise wordless details. Morton
brings the beauty of ocean life into your hands with such intensity that
the salty breeze is sure to sting your eyes. Wake up! That tuna sandwich
you had at lunch marks even you, the city dweller, in the fate of our
oceans.