Pacific Seaweeds: A Guide to Common Seaweeds of the West Coast

Alice Kidd is an editor with The New Catalyst editorial collective in
Lillooet, B.C.

This handbook contains a wealth of information about seaweeds and those
who study and use them. Louis Druehl’s passion for these plantlike
organisms that inhabit the seas is evident in every paragraph and
illustration. The work, which goes well beyond the usual material found
in a guidebook, will provide many hours of reading enjoyment or serve as
a useful companion in the field.

Druehl’s introduction includes a definition of seaweeds, a structural
description, a summary of the forms of reproduction, and an article on
naming. The rest of the guide contains detailed descriptions, line
drawings, color pictures, a thumbnail identification guide, a glossary,
a list of annotated selected readings, a list of species, and an index.
It also includes sections on the ecology and conservation biology of
seaweeds that introduce us to their distribution, communities,
production, and biodiversity. Where are these organisms found? (Seaweeds
change sunlight into biomass and play a major role in shallow coastal
waters.) How does that affect other species, and how do we affect them?
Druehl answers these and other questions.

Two remaining features of the work call for attention: the brief
section on nutrition and cooking that highlights the human use of
seaweeds for food, feed, and commercial materials, and the anecdotes,
poetry, history, and humor that are interspersed throughout.

Pacific Seaweeds is a very fine guide. Those planning their next
vacation by the sea would do well to read its section on beach
etiquette, collecting, and safety.