Review by Choice Review
Colby--an environmental and international history scholar (Univ. of Victoria, Australia)--posits that, ironically, the public concern for the fate of the orca or killer whale is owing largely to the people and institutions that kept them in captivity. Prior to the shows at Sea World and other venues, orcas were generally known only to fishermen--who viewed them as pests and sought to eliminate them--and to scientists who thought nothing of killing the whales to obtain the data they needed. Colby provides a detailed history of efforts to obtain orcas for display and performance by figures such as Seattle aquarium owner Ted Griffin. Griffin loved orcas, wanted to teach the public about them, and insisted on releasing more captured whales than he kept. Nevertheless, he was later reviled by activists in Greenpeace, other groups, and the public at large for capturing orcas and providing them to marine parks. Colby details how, especially in the Pacific Northwest, exposure to captive orcas shifted public opinion and cultivated an activist culture of conservation and protection. This is a timely, readable account likely to be attractive to students interested in environmental activism and animal conservation. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. --Amy C. Prendergast, University of South Alabama
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by New York Times Review
"Blackfish" changed everything. In the wake of that 2013 documentary - which investigated the disturbing impact of captivity on orcas at Sea World and other marine parks - attendance dropped at these establishments, the Sea World chief executive stepped down and many of us arrived at a keener understanding of how these animals are compromised by being cooped up in tanks. Yet Colby, who acknowledges that "Blackfish" spurred millions of people to embrace an anti-captivity stance, hurls this curveball barely two paragraphs into his new book: "What they didn't realize was that, decades earlier, captivity may have saved the world's orcas." By the end of "Orca," that premise winds up making perfect sense. An environmental and international historian at the University of Victoria, Colby travels that distance propelled by meticulous research and reporting - he talks to all manner of scientists, researchers and specialists, even orca-adjacent experts like the dolphin trainer-turned-activist Ric O'Barry. Along the way he takes care of some family business: His father, John Colby, helped to capture orcas for various operations, including Sea World, and has long felt tormented by it. The book features other similarly anguished folks, including Ted Griffin, who was the first person to swim and perform with a captive orca, and as an entrepreneur was responsible for capturing and selling dozens of killer whales, including the original Shamu. Duncan strauss is a journalist and host of the radio show "Talking Animals."
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [August 23, 2019]
Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Environmental historian Colby (The Business of Empire, 2011) points out a fascinating conundrum in this overview of the relationship between humans and killer whales, the fact that Orcinus orca performs well in captivity may actually have saved the species from localized extinction. As the ocean's apex predators, killer whales were almost universally feared and hated, and as human populations exploded after WWII, orcas were seen as major competitors for salmon and regularly culled. But as marine aquariums were built on the Pacific shore, the lure of a captive orca was overwhelming. Then the stardom of Moby Doll and Namu in the early 1960s sealed the deal. Colby spins the tale of the first Shamu (i.e., she-Namu) and how she helped spur the corporate giant, Sea World, with its business of live-capturing killer whales for profit and exhibition in cement pools all over the globe until, finally, the shift in public perception from killer whale to friendly orca raised concerns. Millions of people have seen orcas on display and been enthralled, then inspired to call for their release. Thoroughly documented and full of interviews, this is the definitive history of orcas in confinement.--Bent, Nancy Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Historian Colby (The Business of Empire) takes a revealing look at how the human view of orcas has changed, from considering them bloodthirsty monsters to realizing they are intelligent creature meriting protection from whalers, as well as ocean parks and aquariums seeking specimens to display. He explains that, in the early 20th century, Antarctic explorer Robert Scott's bestselling journal solidified the animal's image as a vicious killer, a view that supported multiple countries' efforts to slaughter as many orcas as possible after WWII. The orca's image only began to be rehabilitated in the 1960s, when live animals were captured and put on display, quickly becoming popular tourist attractions. The acquisition of orcas became a priority for venues like San Diego's Sea World, which acquired the most famous one, Shamu. Colby persuasively contends that, despite legitimate concerns popularized by the 2013 documentary Blackfish, about the effects of captivity on orcas, the animals avoided extinction because their presence in accessible public venues enabled people to relate to them. At times, the amount of detail included bogs down the narrative, as in a section covering an aquarium owner's early life, and other than the Blackfish controversy, the book is curiously light on developments in recent decades. However, for the many readers interested in the orca's well-being, Colby has produced an originally argued and accessibly jargon-free consideration of a hot-button animal conservation issue. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The history of Orcinus orca, from its days as both a cultural icon of the Pacific Northwest and a dangerous pest to marine fishermen and whalers to stardom as a performer at marine theme parks.Environmentalist Colby (History/Univ. of Victoria; The Business of Empire: United Fruit, Race, and U.S. Expansion in Central America, 2011, etc.) reports on one species and concentrates on one brief period of time, in contrast to Nick Pyenson's Spying on Whales, which looks with a scientist's eye at whales of all kinds in the distant past, present, and possible future. Colby's story is also focused on the human relationships with orcas. His history is filled with the names of the men who attempted to capture killer whales, those who met with increasing success, the entrepreneurs who capitalized on whales, and the names of the whales that were caught. Readers will meet Namu, Kandu, Skanda, Taku, Haida, Chimo, and, perhaps the most famous one of all, Shamu (a name given to many after the original). For decades, catching and selling whales was big business, and as captive display animals at places like Sea World, killer whales became public favorites for their spectacular performances and their strikingly handsome black-and-white coloration. Captivity also meant that scientists could study orcas in ways not previously possible. By the 1970s, the environmental movement had become a subject of mainstream politics, and activists took up the issue of whale conservation. The author delves into the conflicts over regulation as protestors tangled with businesses, scientists with fisherman, and fishermen with government officials. Anecdotes abound. The cast of characters is enormous, and readers may find themselves struggling to keep the names straight.A good choice for serious fans of Pacific Northwest and marine history but information overload for mere lovers of all the Shamus and their ilk. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
