Pacific Seaweeds

This updated and expanded guide thoroughly documents every aspect of seaweed life, from species identification and seaweed biology to the essential—and often surprising—roles seaweed plays in the marine ecosystem and our everyday lives. Seaweeds are used in everything from cosmetics to sustainable biofuels, and some species, like kelp, contribute to the remediation of coastal ecosystems. Featuring an attractive new full-color design, the expanded Pacific Seaweeds includes updated species descriptions, dozens of additional color photos, new species discovered since the original edition, and brand-new sections on common shore plants and the use of DNA techniques to discover, catalog and identify seaweeds. It also features several new recipes and an essay on umami—because in addition to all its other uses, some species of seaweed make delectable food. Packed with illustrations, vivid color photographs, comprehensive scientific information and further readings, this easy-to-use guidebook will appeal to marine biologists, amateur beachcombers, gourmet foragers and everyone in between.

INCLUDE A CHAPTER ON NUTRITION AND COOKING SEAWEED.

"Created for those who work and play on the shores and in the shallow subtidal of the Pacific, this easy-to-use field guide is suitable for amateurs and professionals alike. Featuring a "quick key" and filled with interesting details, this comprehensive book will enable you to readily identify 128 species of nmarine algae commonly found along the coast from Alaska to Baja California. Each species is accompanied by at least one color photograph, and text that covers identifying characteristics, range, and habit. Contains 138 color photographs, 14 line drawings that illustrate algal structures and life cycles, 3 easy-to-use keys to help sort and identify specimens and 9 recipes for cooking with seaweed." -- Amazon.com viewed March 30, 2021.

The most comprehensive collection of photographs of the Pacific Northwest marine life published!

Champions seaweed as a staple food while simultaneously explaining its biology, ecology, cultural history, and gastronomy.

Marine algae are the supreme eco-engineers of life: they oxygenate the waters, create habitat for countless other organisms, and form the base of a food chain that keeps our planet unique in the universe as we know it. In this beautiful volume Josie Iselin explores both the artistic and the biological presence of sixteen seaweeds and kelps that live in the thin region where the Pacific Ocean converges with the North American continent--a place of incomparable richness. Each species receives a detailed description of its structure, ecological importance, and humans' scientific inquiry into it, told in scientifically illuminating yet deeply reverent and inspired prose. Throughout the writings are historical botanical illustrations and Iselin's signature, Marimekko-like portraits of each specimen that reveal their vibrant colors--whether rosy, "olivaceous," or grass-green--and whimsical shapes. Iselin posits that we can learn not only about the seaweeds but also from them: their resilience, their resourcefulness, their poetry and magic.

Rich in nutrients, used in products from cosmetics to explosives to fertilizers, and vital to our coastal marine ecosystems, seaweeds can be found on any rocky shore or beach in the Pacific Northwest. The pocket-sized Field Guide to Seaweeds of the Pacifc Northwest is packed with full-colour photos and information on a select variety of the most important and interesting seaweeds commonly encountered on the West Coast. Whether you want to identify seaweeds, better understand their role in the ocean, forage for food, collect for art or you're just plain curious as you poke around the seashore, this educational guide is your ultimate source for casual phycological fun.

Students, scientists, mariculturists, beachcombers, boaters, kayakers, SCUBA divers, naturalists, subsistence users, shoreline managers, and anyone who walks along rocky shorelines between the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, and southern Oregon, USA, will welcome this new guide to 154 of the most abundant species of seaweeds and seagrasses to be found growing there.

“You might not expect unfettered passion on the topic of seaweed, but Shetterly is such a great storyteller that you find yourself following along eagerly.” —Mark Kurlansky “Seaweed is ancient and basic, a testament to the tenacious beginnings of life on earth,” writes Susan Hand Shetterly in this elegant, fascinating book. “Why wouldn’t seaweeds be a protean life source for the lives that have evolved since?” On a planet facing environmental change and diminishing natural resources, seaweed is increasingly important as a source of food and as a fundamental part of our global ecosystem. In Seaweed Chronicles, Shetterly takes readers deep into the world of this essential organism by providing an immersive, often poetic look at life on the rugged shores of her beloved Gulf of Maine, where the growth and harvesting of seaweed is becoming a major industry. While examining the life cycle of seaweed and its place in the environment, she tells the stories of the men and women who farm and harvest it—and who are fighting to protect this critical species against forces both natural and man-made. Ideal for readers of such books as The Hidden Life of Trees and How to Read Water, Seaweed Chronicles is a deeply informative look at a little understood and too often unappreciated part of our habitat.

Seaweed is fast becoming a new favorite snack, as eaters everywhere are realizing what Alaska Natives have known for millennia: seaweed can be a healthy and tasty treat. Found in abundance along Alaska's shores, it has been believed to do everything from regulating digestion to reducing swelling. Dolly Garza, a Haida-Tlingit Indian, offers an easy-to-use guide for locating, identifying, and preparing several species of edible seaweed--and even one beach plant. The second edition of this useful book adds Garza's personal accounts about collecting seaweed, telling stories of harvesting the plants and preparing them with her family. More than twenty-five recipes cover seasonings, snacks, and main and side dishes. They allow readers to try out the recipes enjoyed by Garza's family for generations as well as find the inspiration to try out their own variations. The book carefully presents ten key seaweed species found in the Gulf of Alaska, along with photos of each so that readers know exactly which ones to pick. Readers will learn how to easily make seaweed a healthy part of their everyday diets.