A swashbuckling narrative of treachery and obsession involving
pirates, fur seals, competing governments, and near war.
"In Roar of the Sea, [Deb Vanasse] writes with verve and dramatic
impact, reconstructing the narrative of Elliott's tenacious crusade in a
way that will transport the reader back to the cacophonous seal
rookeries, to the bloody, blubber-slicked decks of the sealing ships,
and to the elegant meeting rooms of the nation's capital. While bringing
deserved attention to Elliott for his wildlife conservation work in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries, Vanasse ends with a sobering
challenge: those seal rookeries on the Pribilof Islands are now facing
new human-caused threats--and could use 21st century advocates."
--The Daily Astorian/Coast Weekend
"Now comes a fascinating, full history of the fur seal story, pitting
artist and advocate Henry Wood Elliott against the most famous of the
seal pirates, a man named Alex MacLean, and a whole host of ill-informed
and corrupt business and political titans. Deb Vanasse, a former Alaskan
who now lives in Oregon and is the author of many previous
books--including Wealth Woman, about the Klondike gold rush--has done
extensive research to illuminate the historical characters, the
difficulties of reaching an international agreement to protect wildlife,
and the significance of that treaty today."
--Anchorage Daily News
Over a century ago, treachery in Alaska's Bering Sea twice brought the
world to the brink of war. The US seized Canadian vessels, Great Britain
positioned warships to strike the US, and Americans killed Japanese
pirates on US soil--all because of the northern fur seals crowded
together on the tiny Pribilof Islands.
The herd's population plummeted from 4.7 million to 940,000 in the span
of eight years while notorious seafarers like Alex MacLean (who inspired
Jack London's The Sea-Wolf) poached indiscriminately. Enter an
unlikely crusader to defend the seals: self-taught artist and naturalist
Henry Wood Elliott, whose zeal and love for the animals inspired him to
go against all odds and take on titans of the sea.
Winning seemed impossible, and yet Elliott managed to expose corruption
and set the course for modern wildlife protections that are all the more
relevant today as the world grapples with mass extinction.
Carefully written and researched, Roar of the Sea reveals the
incredible hidden history of how one lone activist existing in the
margins prevailed against national governments and corporate interests
in the name of wildlife conservation.
