The California Current--part of the large, swirling North Pacific
gyre--flows slowly southward along the west coast of North America,
stretching nearly 2,000 miles from southern British Columbia to the
tip of Baja California in Mexico. To a casual observer standing on
the shore, the vast current betrays no discernible signs, yet life
abounds just over the horizon. Stan Ulanski takes us into the water
on a journey through this magnificent, unique marine ecosystem,
illuminating the scientific and biological marvels and the
astonishing array of flora and fauna streaming along our Pacific
coast.
The waters of the California Current yield a complex broth of
planktonic organisms that form the base of an elaborate food web
that many naturalists have compared to the species-rich Serengeti
ecosystem of Africa. Every year, turtles, seals, fish, and seabirds
travel great distances to feast in the current's distinct
biological oases and feeding sites. Apex predators, such as the
California gray whale, humpback whale, salmon shark, and bluefin
tuna, undertake extensive north-south migrations within the current
to find enough to eat.
The California Current energizes us
to celebrate and protect a marine ecosystem integral to the myriad
fisheries, coastal communities, and cultures of the Pacific
coast.