Educational Media Reviews Online

Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) and National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) have teamed up to produce an educational and informative film on marine reserves. The Science of Marine Reserves and an accompanying book by the same title are available for download at http://www.piscoweb.org.

The film is divided into eight sections: introduction, changing perspectives, many problems-one tool, the evidence, rate of change, spillover/export, reserve networks and conclusion. Each section is downloaded separately by following the links to “Outreach” and “Publications”. The film is well written, well edited and contains a combination of interviews, photographic clips, and computer animation. The message is clear and will be understood by a wide range of viewers: marine reserves increase population density and diversity, allow the development of larger individuals and have proven successful in both tropical and temperate ocean waters. Editor Stephen Ulrich uses examples from the Georges Bank scallop and cod fisheries as well as the Channel Island Marine Reserve Network to illustrate how marine reserves work. The concluding section nicely recaps the content of the video and leaves the viewer with the message that marine reserves, in combination with other practices can reverse the global declines in fish populations. The Science of Marine Reserves is an outstanding classroom tool and is highly recommended for school, public and college libraries.