Sex in the Sea

July 4, 2016
This deep dive into the sex lives of sea creatures—from courting to mating, and in some cases child-rearing—proves a hilarious and informative collection of insights and curious tales. Hardt covers a vast array of sea life to explore some of the stranger sexual practices and rituals found in the ocean. She covers these fascinating practices in charming and often amusing prose that will spark the interest of all listeners, not only those who love pop science. Reader Mercer-Meyer captures Hardt’s tone and enthusiasm in her narration, using emphasis and projection to capture the wonder, amusement, and inquisitiveness of the author. Equally important, she has the comic delivery to capture some of the jokes and puns embedded throughout the prose. She also keenly adjusts her tone to reinforce Hardt’s more serious and sincere prose about the importance and vibrancy of sea life. A St. Martin’s hardcover.

December 21, 2015
Hardt, an ecologist and research codirector for the non-profit Future of Fish, puts a hilarious, if somewhat misleading, anthropomorphic spin on underwater reproduction. She explores the sea’s sexual nature by topic of interest rather than species type, breaking her chapters up into broad areas such as sex changes, penis diversity, and different types of marine fertilization. Concern about the influence of human activity on the survival of aquatic species permeates the text, highlighting how human preferences for bigger or brighter specimens can leave a population prone to lower rates of reproduction. Hardt also notes that the impact of human waste streams can be hard to anticipate. The book’s final section focuses on ideas for sustainability. Balancing the seriousness of her content with lowbrow humor, Hardt files certain spawning aggregations under the term “oceanic orgies,” equates copepod courtship to hitting up singles bars, and describes blue whales’ singing as “getting their Barry White on.” Though the style is light, Hardt’s science is up to date in a field where research can be difficult, and readers will feel confident that they can talk intelligently about fish gonads at their next sushi dinner. 8-page color insert.

December 15, 2015
Coral and reef ecologist Hardt dives into the sex lives of sea creatures. In a fun, lively style, the author explains the sexual antics going on under the waves. She links the science of sex to the sustainability of oceans and emphasizes that creatures' sex lives are vital for a healthy environment. Just as with humans, finding the right mate takes some searching. Hardt describes the travails faced by creatures having to find a mate in a watery environment, which covers "about 99 percent of the habitable space on the planet." In a largely informal narrative, the author interweaves pop-culture images and contemporary analogies with scientific facts. Who knew male blue whales are "getting their Barry White on" when they emit deep baritone sounds while searching for a sweetheart? Or that sharks and rays enlist the power of electromagnetism to find the right partner? Or sex in lobster language means "peeing in your lover's face?" Hardt traces creatures from "dating" to "post climax." Along the way, the author touches on the importance of penis size, sex-changing clownfish, fish with personal sperm banks, sex triggered by critical mass, and threesomes. Hardt notes how sound pollution, overfishing, and climate change affect the ocean's creatures, which then impact human food security, shoreline protection, medicines, and sheer enjoyment of the ocean environment. The discussion includes new methods and emerging technologies for further study and possible protection of the ocean and its creatures. The author also includes amusing illustrations, sea sex trivia, and short fictional vignettes such as Fifty Shades of Grunion Run, as well as a list of organizations promoting healthy oceans. Not all readers will appreciate Hardt's tone, but all will learn plenty. A watery romp under the waves that will appeal to anyone wanting to broaden their knowledge of our watery planet.

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Starred review from March 15, 2016

Hardt (research codirector, Future of Fish) has written a clever, informative book about marine animal reproduction. Covering the diverse range of creatures under the sea, the process of baby-making from flatworms to barnacles to octopus to whales is eye-opening and entertaining. Priceless are the fictional romance vignettes sprinkled throughout, which are written as if from a human perspective, such as "Fifty Shades of Grunion Run," inspired by fish which engage in orgies on the beach in spite of the asphyxiation that occurs as a result. Hardt's well-organized and thoughtful book incorporates the current status of wildlife management and environmental conservation into each chapter in a way that enriches the narrative. Readers will learn about sexual selection and other foundational concepts in biology through explanations that are playful and fun. Scientific terms are clearly and engagingly defined. The book offers a broad overview compared to Eugene's H. Kaplan's Sensuous Seas: Tales of a Marine Biologist, another humorous text featuring the sexual escapades of sea creatures. VERDICT Whether readers are new to the marine sciences or possess prior knowledge, they will find much to learn in this well-written and delightful study.--Laurie Neuerburg, Victoria Coll., Univ. of Houston Lib.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2016
It's hard not to smile when reading this cheeky, yet relevant survey of sexual relations among marine creatures. Coral-reef ecologist Hardt has a lot of fun with her topic and delights in sharing every odd, icky, or downright bizarre example of marine reproductive acts (think lobster foreplay). She also peppers the text with pop-culture references, easily weaving them within scientific references and interviews. So the influence of parasites on sex change leads to a discussion of domoic acid in microscopic algae and the story of how seabirds (sooty shearwaters) were poisoned by it in 1961, causing them to bombard the town of Capitola, inspiring Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. There's also mention of Finding Nemo, My Fair Lady, and The Vagina Monologues. For all the lightheartedness, which armchair naturalists will love, the science is important and effective. Hardt shows how delicate the mating dance is for so many species and why care must be taken with their environment. For all the laughs, she makes it clear that if marine species can't reproduce, we are all going to suffer.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)