Marine Mammal Conservation and the Law of the Sea, by Cameron S.G. Jefferies, published by Oxford University Press, 2016, 401 pp., $95.00, hardback.

• Date: 01 April 2017
• Author: Howard S. Schiffman
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/reel.12189
• Published date: 01 April 2017

reflected in how readers are likely

to not only enjoy but learn from the

two. There are, unfortunately, one

or two glaring errors in the book

and knowledgeable readers will

quickly identify them. For instance,

the book suggests that all trade in

sturgeon (a fish species regulated

by CITES) is illegal (at 9), which is

patently not the case. A limited

number of the observations on the

part of contributors seem naive or

unrealistic, particularly in the

realms of demand reduction or

community involvement.

One may also be struck by how, in

some instances, an author seems to

have great understanding of his or

her specialization whilst maybe

lacking sufficient appreciation of

other, related, fields. For example,

in the descriptions of both illegal

fishing and illegal logging, the

potential role CITES listing has

played, and that it could do much

more, might be viewed as not hav-

ing been sufficiently grasped. Sev-

eral contributors, quite properly,

identify the ‘weakness’in CITES

whereby its parties are obliged to

‘penalize’but not ‘criminalize’

offenders. But they apparently over-

look the strength of any appendix

listing enabling an enforcement

official on one side of the globe to

respond to an illegally obtained

item arriving from the opposite side

of the Earth. This is a power that no

regional fishery management treaty

offers. Indeed, it is that very

strength which has caused so many

(political as opposed to scientific)

disagreements over proposed list-

ings of marine and timber species

in the Convention in recent years.

Readers may also find it somewhat

odd that Elliott and Schaedla, in

their role as editors, did not supply

some final, overarching chapter,

to pull everything together and

offer concluding comments or

suggestions.

These remarks, though, are essen-

tially minor quibbles. Overall, this

is a good piece of work that

effectively collates a wide range of

input and places it in a sensible and

complementary format. But one

cannot ignore the question that is

likely to spring into the mind of the

average reader at some stage: why

has this been called a ‘Handbook’?

Even at over five hundred and

twenty pages, it simply is not

detailed enough to act as a refer-

ence for those seeking ready infor-

mation. The subjects covered each

deserve a tome of their own. The

rear cover, aside from describing

the book as ‘ground-breaking’

(which seems inappropriate), also

says it will be ‘an invaluable

resource for students and scholars’.

This seems a more reasonable claim

and references to value are indeed

highly appropriate, given that the

retail cost of this publication is

£135. But to claim that it will also

serve ‘regulatory and enforcement

practitioners working to meet the

challenges of transnational environ-

mental crime’goes too far. If the

editors intended their ‘handbook’to

be a set of instructions, the other

common understanding of the

word, then it fails in that regard.

Regrettably, a customs or police

officer is unlikely to find much here

to aid them in their daily duties,

even if they could afford to pur-

chase the book.

Reading this book leaves one with

favourable feelings towards the

editors and contributors but also

great frustration towards the pub-

lishing industry. The book will cer-

tainly furnish the reader with an

overview of environmental crime,

and the associated often complex

legal, strategic, tactical and opera-

tional issues and deserves to reach

a wide audience. Regrettably,

accessing it may not be easy with-

out the right library or credit card.

But that’s a reality which applies to

many more publications beyond

this one.

John M. Sellar OBE FRGS

Anti-Smuggling, Fraud and

Organized Crime Advisor

Marine Mammal Conserva-

tion and the Law of the Sea,

by Cameron S.G. Jefferies,

published by Oxford Univer-

sity Press, 2016, 401 pp.,

$95.00, hardback.

Few environmental issues have

divided the international commu-

nity as much as whaling. The tragic

history of the overexploitation of

whales is a clear reminder of the

need for conservation and manage-

ment of critical species. The Inter-

national Whaling Commission

(IWC) has a long history of pro-

nounced failure, especially in its

early decades. In 1982, the IWC

adopted a moratorium on commer-

cial whaling that allowed many spe-

cies of large whales to recover.

Today, the IWC is mired in gridlock

as both whaling and anti-whaling

interests refuse to yield. Cameron

Jefferies’new book offers a possible

way forward. Marine Mammal

Conservation and the Law of the

Sea advocates a new treaty –an

implementing agreement to the

1982 United Nations Convention on

the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The

proposed agreement would create a

new organization, the International

Marine Mammal Commission

(IMMC), to govern the conservation

and use of marine mammals. The

IMMC would represent a significant

advance in its approach to marine

mammal conservation and manage-

ment. One of its most laudable fea-

tures is that it would provide

conservation for all marine mam-

mals, not just whales. This includes

the orders Sirenia (dugongs and

manatees) and Pinnipedia (seals,

sea lions and walruses), which often

receive less attention than Cetacea

(whales, dolphins and porpoises).

Another important feature is that

the agreement would apply globally

with support from regional organi-

zations. The IMMC would have a

range of tools to achieve its objec-

tives including declaring Marine

Protected Areas (MPAs). To be

ª2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

99

RECIEL 26 (1) 2017 BOOK REVIEWS

bs_bs_banner

Review of European Community & International Environmental Law