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The true lesson of this book is that fisheries science is complicated; that the management of any given species must be considered in terms of its ecosystem; that fishing for one species alters the food web as a whole — and that sometimes there is not enough data to make good recommendations.

Moreover, an estimated 20 percent of the world’s catch is landed illegally.

After years of bitter argument, this noncontentious book should be welcomed by anyone who cares about fish. And that should be most of us: Worldwide, 20 percent of the world’s protein intake comes from the sea. If we cannot make policies to protect this harvest, everyone will pay a price.

Ocean Renewable Power Co. aims to begin installation of its first grid-connected power unit in mid-March at a 60-acre site in Cobscook Bay at the nation’s easternmost tip.

All told, the company sees up to 50 megawatts of tidal power potential in the Eastport and Lubec areas, enough to power thousands of homes, Sauer said.

The completed pilot project will produce enough electricity for about 100 homes.

Though it has worked well enough to get us this far down evolution’s challenging road, our risk perception system, which blends thinking and feeling and mostly takes place subconsciously, often produces fears that fly in the face of the facts.  Many of us are more afraid of some risks — like mercury or pesticides or genetically modified food — than the evidence warrants. And many of us aren’t as concerned about some really dire dangers as we ought to be, like climate change, particulate pollution or acidification of the ocean  The problem is, being too afraid, or not afraid enough — a phenomenon I call “the perception gap” — produces dangers all by itself, For that reason, it’s worth exploring just why our fears don’t match the facts, as a first step toward protecting ourselves from the real dangers that arise when we get risk wrong.

We can avoid relying solely on the often-alarmist news media, or on friends who only reinforce how we already feel.