World Without Fish

Charles Darwin, born in 1809 in Shrewsbury, England, initially studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh before shifting to theology at Cambridge. However, his true passion lay in natural history, which led to his pivotal role as a naturalist aboard the HMS Beagle in 1831. The five-year voyage on the Beagle provided Darwin with invaluable observations and specimens from diverse ecosystems, notably the Galápagos Islands. These observations laid the groundwork for his revolutionary ideas about the diversity of life. Darwin meticulously documented variations among species, particularly the finches on the Galápagos, noting how their beaks differed depending on their food sources.

In 1859, Darwin published On the Origin of Species, a seminal work that introduced the theory of evolution by natural selection. He argued that species evolve over generations through a process where individuals with traits better suited to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This concept challenged the prevailing view of species as immutable creations and provided a unifying explanation for the diversity of life on Earth. Darwin’s work extended beyond the idea of evolution. He explored the mechanisms of heredity and the struggle for existence, emphasizing how environmental pressures and competition for resources drive evolutionary change.

Despite initial resistance, Darwin’s ideas gained acceptance and profoundly influenced biology, anthropology, and geology. His meticulous research and bold theories transformed scientific thought, providing a comprehensive framework for understanding the interconnectedness and adaptability of life.

Charles Darwin is an important and constant figure throughout World Without Fish. While quotes from On the Origin of Species preface and set the tone for each chapter, the broader ideas he developed about how species struggle for survival and the interconnectedness of all life form the scientific foundation of Kurlansky’s arguments throughout the book. He frequently references and cites Darwin and believes that the oceans wouldn’t be in a crisis if more people were familiar with his ideas.

Kram is a fictional ocean scientist in the 11-part graphic novel that unfolds at the end of each chapter in World Without Fish. Throughout the story, Kram spends his time doing two things: educating his daughter, Ailat, about the oceans and trying to convince people around him that there is a crisis in the oceans that needs addressing. While his daughter is an attentive student and learns to appreciate the intricate and delicate balance of the sea’s ecosystem, everyone else he tries to convince either ignores or dismisses him. Kram repeatedly talks to his friend Serafino, a commercial fisherman, about the damage he is causing by fishing with nets instead of hooks and lines. Still, despite the clear evidence that Kram is right (each successive time Kram visits, Serafino is fishing a new target because the old one has vanished), Serafino ignores him because he needs to make money. Kram has even less luck when he goes on national television to spread the word, as the host of the show paints him as an extremist and finds a moderate—and government-employed—scientist to assuage any fears that the oceans are dying.

Kram serves a few functions as a fictional character in an otherwise nonfiction book. He is a stand-in for Kurlansky, who, while not a scientist, is trying to educate a sometimes reluctant public about what is happening in the oceans and the potential consequences. Likewise, he demonstrates the difficulties of convincing people to change their ways and habits (whether that is the way they catch or consume fish) and encounters all kinds of resistance to change—the “need to make a living” (49), “political realities” (80), and general indifference and apathy. He also contrasts with nearly everyone he meets in the story because he is well-informed and willing to act. In contrast, everyone else appears willfully ignorant so they can feel content in their inaction. Finally, Kram reinforces the ideas presented in the nonfiction parts of the novel. Each installment of the graphic novel illustrates the lessons presented before it and demonstrates the real and dangerous consequences of ignoring this threat the way everyone ignores Kram in the graphic novel.