A
final word
This is the second edition of Dolphins Dance. The story is
the same, but the voice and the writing, I hope, have been greatly
improved. The words are more solidly
crafted, the characters more developed, and the message, I believe, is
stronger.
This second edition is self-published. It is the only version of the story that is
authorized by me. The first edition, Dolphins' Dance (note the apostrophe), was
published under contract with a vanity press publisher. My disappointment with their pricing and
services is well documented. It took
nearly four years before they would sell the rights of my book back to me. Please don't purchase any of the original books.
I wrote the first draft of this book, five years
ago, out of love and wonder for the fantastically diverse creatures of the
ocean and their habitat. I have always
loved the ocean. I have lived most of my
life on islands. I have always believed
that dolphins and whales are intelligent and social animals, and that they are irrevocably
connected to the life of the planet, and ultimately human kind.
I did not have much knowledge of the dire plight
these animals are facing and the cruelty that humans have inflicted upon them
over the centuries. I was not aware of
the degraded condition of the world's oceans —70% of our planet. As I floundered through the writing of the book,
mixing fiction with facts, I realized that there was a possibility I would
become so enamored with these animals and their ocean habitat that my
perspective would become biased—it did...
I now have even stronger feelings about the
protection and conservation of our planet, the oceans and marine life. If ALS had not altered my life, and I had not
begun the therapeutic pursuit of writing, I would not have become the
"bedridden environmentalist" that I am today. I believe that if we save the ocean habitat
and we protect the dolphins, whales, and all of the diverse life found in the
seas and on land, we are saving ourselves.
Chief Seattle is right—we are connected to the Earth, and what we do to
the environment we do to ourselves. If
we preserve and protect the oceans and all of the creatures within, we ultimately
save ourselves.
It is my hope that some readers find the dolphins'
story enjoyable and perhaps educational.
I hope that you will become your own brand of activist and join a
movement, any movement that seeks to protect nature and our planet. You don't have to be a radical or extremist,
or a millionaire philanthropist. Find
your own level of activism. Do what you
are comfortable with, whether it is making a small donation to a nonprofit
organization, "liking" an environmental cause on Facebook, or writing
a letter to your government representative, just do something. Add your voice to the growing chorus. Tell your family and your friends how
important it is to save our oceans, preserve our environment, and respect our
fellow creatures on this planet.
Five years ago, while writing this book I was
overwhelmed by the complexity of the issues facing us, and the planet. I was appalled at the misuse and abuse of the
oceans, watersheds, forests, and all of our precious natural resources. Climate change was everywhere in the news. I couldn't believe that in the 21st-century,
we were still treating the Earth and the ocean as if they were inexhaustible
resources—resources to be plundered and used without careful thought and focus
on preservation and sustainability. That
was five years ago... Just recently, the UN produced another report on climate
change in the status of the planet—things have not gotten better.
I know that often for complex problems to be
resolved, clear and simple solutions have to be presented. Many good people are offering solutions, and
finally people are beginning to listen and take action. I believe there is hope. I am positive. I have listened, and my action is sharing
this story and distilling what I have learned into a handful of thoughts that I
give below regarding the protection and conservation of our oceans and the
creatures that live there. These are my
opinions only and not necessarily based upon scientific fact or data. I'm sure there are much more qualified people
to make these suggestions, and my few topics are by no means a complete list,
but I present them to you honestly and freely, hoping that you or others will
investigate further, and be moved to support organizations, policies and
individuals that promote these ideas.
Create Marine
National Parks and conservation areas: These are sometimes called Marine
Sanctuaries. Hawaii, California, Florida,
Louisiana, Massachusetts, and a few other states have marine sanctuaries. We need more. They make perfect sense to me—a place safe
from the overfishing, pollution, and the overzealous recreation of humans. Marine sanctuaries are set aside and protected
by humans. They are a place for the
ocean and its inhabitants to heal and thrive.
They are easy to create and manage. Please encourage your government officials,
local fishermen and businesses, to create more of these sanctuaries.
Reduce
the use of plastic: We need
to reduce the use of plastic, or come to a point where we recycle 100% of what
we create and use. Do not throw plastic
away, recycle it. Encourage your town,
city and country to introduce recycling programs. We need to encourage business and government
to find biodegradable materials that can replace plastic. We need to encourage everyone to recycle 100%
of the plastic we use.
Reduce
storm runoff and the dumping of waste into our rivers and oceans: This means that we have to upgrade our city
sewage systems. Farmers and businesses
who live up stream must realize that what they put into the soil or dump on
their land, eventually flows into the ocean. We need to plant more trees. We need to revitalize watersheds so that they
can naturally filter the water before it reaches the ocean.
Regulate
international and domestic commercial fishing: Fishing and its
byproducts should not injure marine life that is not being harvested. Incidental deaths, also known as by-catch, caused
by bottom trawling, long lines, and drift nets are not acceptable. Pressure your government to regulate
commercial fishing and other fishing activities that can destroy entire
ecosystems or over fish species until they are extinct. Support international fishing regulation and
encourage sustainable fishing. Only buy
fish and other seafood that is harvested using sustainable fishing practices.
Dolphins and
whales should not be kept in captivity: Stop the capture and consumption
of whales and dolphins throughout the world.
Only dolphins and whales born in captivity should be used for research
and educational purposes. All rescued dolphins
and whales should be returned to the wild.
Encourage your government to regulate marine parks and aquariums. If you go to marine parks or aquariums, ask
where the animals come from. Learn as
much as you can about these wonderful creatures and their habitats.
You can make a difference.
RK Raker
April 2014
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