Sailing Across a Wounded Sea

The capacity of humans to destroy their environment is playing out like a Greek tragedy in the Mediterranean Sea. After having coexisted with a diversity of marine animals throughout their history, humans have broken the balance in recent decades, and the survival of countless marine creatures is now increasingly uncertain. However, unlike in classical tragedies, real-life entities are not necessarily doomed by their fate, and there must be hope to turn the tide in nature’s favour. Lack of concrete conservation action might be simply due to a lack of awareness: how can we feel sad about a loss if we don’t know what we are losing? 

“Sailing Across a Wounded Sea” is the story of an ideal journey around the Mediterranean to meet its non-human inhabitants, consisting of real episodes collected over half a century as the author observed real animals, exchanged views with a variety of contacts, and argued for such views in the policy arena. Encountering whales, dolphins,seals and rays in their habitat and on their terms will hopefully contribute to building up in readers a collective commitment to help secure a future for these species. A future where they are allowed to flourish as they were meant to - had humans never trod so heavily on the sea’s delicate ecological balance and the interwoven natural processes.

Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara has been involved for a lifetime in protecting marine biodiversity in various capacities – as a scientist, civil servant, advocate and sailor. Having studied in California and worked with whales, dolphins and sharks worldwide, he returned to the Mediterranean in 1985, keen on using his acquired tools to discover more about the ancient sea's natural history. Here, he described small but vibrant populations of fin and sperm whales, along with various species of dolphins, manta rays and the monk seal. At the same time, seeing the Mediterranean’s progressive degradation at the hands of humans, he felt a surge of rebellion against this squandering of natural values, and wished to raise awareness of the existence of these marine natural treasures and the risk of losing them.

“Drawing from decades of first-hand experiences, in ‘Sailing Across a Wounded Sea’ Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara offers a compelling narrative that interweaves the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea’s non-human inhabitants with the challenges they face due to human activity. As he reflects on his journey, the author underscores the imperative for collective action and the need for heightened awareness and proactive conservation measures to protect our oceans. ‘Sailing Across a Wounded Sea’ serves not only as a captivating voyage but also as a sobering call to responsibility. Join Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara on this insightful expedition and discover the profound significance of preserving our marine ecosystems for future generations.”

—Peter Thomson, United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean

“The Mediterranean, the cradle of civilisation, is a sea steeped in history. From Apollon and Artemis to Pythagoras and Hercules, names in this book summon up images of civilisations past and lost. The greatest Greek philosopher of them all, Aristotle, is also regarded as the father of marine biodiversity, stemming from his research conducted on Lesbos Island. And yet this ancient world, familiar to so many, is under threat. In this book Notarbartolo di Sciara takes us on a modern-day odyssey through these waters, based on over 50 years of personal observations. He reminds us of the impact of the progressive footprint of human action and endeavour, which has spread out across the whole sea, changing, and depleting its beauty and splendour. His voyage paints a picture not just of what is at stake but also of the potential the future can hold if we all work together to give nature a breathing space, to allow it to restore and recover. In our modern world, where we have become more disconnected than ever from our surroundings, this book is a rallying call to remind us that all our futures are intricately interwoven with nature, and that we damage that at our peril.”

—Professor Dan Laffoley, Emeritus marine Vice Chair, IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas

“Who doesn’t love a travelogue? The serendipitous nature of a journey, places and characters along the way, shared insights and a joyous homecoming. A key difference with Sailing Across a Wounded Sea is that encounters are all with marine creatures and their places in the natural world. Set in the Mediterranean, Notarbartolo di Sciara draws upon experiences from a life-long love of the sea to take us with him: cataloguing pressures and stresses on different communities of animals he knows well. Explaining all is not as it should be. Revealing that we have been unaware of impacts, or in denial, or asleep at the wheel. Personal yet profound his consistent message is that we have taken too much and respected too little. Too much food, too much space and too many liberties. Underpinning this journey is a heartfelt call to wake up and put things right, which makes for a compelling read and a new and novel insight.”

—David Johnson, Honorary Professor University of Edinburgh, Coordinator Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative, Mission Blue Hope Spot Champion

“Everyone who cares about the Mediterranean Sea should read this impassioned and insightful book. Few people know the whales, dolphins, seals and other marine wildlife struggling to survive in the ‘Cradle of Civilisation’—and what needs to be done to help secure their future—better than Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara.”

—Mark Carwardine, Bestselling author and environmentalist

“Jump aboard the Pontoporia with Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara. This book is a grand tour of the Mediterranean Sea made luminous through the eyes, passions, and concerns of a dedicated scientist and conservationist who has spent his life living and working in these waters. Discover the history, culture, politics and, most of all, the diverse nature of the Mediterranean. This well-written memoir offers a wonderful ride, though at times bumpy, as a scientist who has done so much to help the Mediterranean come to terms with the future of this ancient, storied sea.”

—Erich Hoyt, Author, Planktonia, Creatures of the Deep, Marine Protected Areas for Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises, and other books

“Warm and inviting as a Mediterranean breeze, renowned marine biologist Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara’s beautiful book takes us on a modern-day Odyssey around the sea of his birth. It is a journey of entrancing encounters with the natural world, tempered by a sobering warning – that the ‘Cradle of Civilisation’ cannot call itself civilised if it continues to destroy the sea that gave it life.”

—Isabella Tree, Author of Wilding

Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara is a marine ecologist who spent his life trying to shoehorn scientific evidence into policy and politics. So far, he must admit that he has largely failed, despite episodical successes here and there. He is fascinated by devil rays and horrified by seafood after a childhood encounter with a trout gone bad. When he is not on the Greek island of Patmos he spends his time in Milan, thinking of ways to get back to Patmos.