The Last Sunset in the West
Britain’s Vanishing West Coast Orcas
In 2014, marine biologist Dr Natalie Sanders joined the crew of the research vessel Silurian to seek out Britain’s West Coast Community of orca and study them before we lose them forever. Though this orca pod has delighted scientists and whale watchers for years, we still know relatively little about them, and what we do know comes mostly from citizen science and chance encounters. But what is abundantly clear is that pollution, entanglement, military sonar and climate change continue to have an enormous impact on whales and dolphins and other marine life throughout the world’s oceans.
This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the marine world in this age of climate change. A captivating yet poignant account, it takes the reader from the Western Isles of Scotland to Vancouver Island and elsewhere. It also delves deep into the history of our relations with these beautiful and sentient creatures to explain what their loss means and how we can avoid similar tragedies in the future.
'A wonderfully passionate account' – Gordon Buchanan
'Conveys both the magnificence and fragility of this remarkable creature' – Vanessa Collingridge
Having completed her PhD in marine biology, Natalie Sanders now works as a marine consultant and has collaborated with the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust and charities in British Columbia, Canada. She lives in south-west England with her husband and two children.
