Böcker av John Paterson

This book includes the four short stories: Don't Blame Me, What We Like To Eat, Dan The Diver Joins STEM Club, and Dan The Diver And SCUBA.

Legend has it that Dan the Diver was born in a giant clam shell many years ago when, along with trochus and tritons, these shells were being collected in large numbers and someone needed to speak up for them.

"You always need to have a dive buddy," said Bobby. "You never know what could happen and it is so different down there." Annabel agreed completely. "Even if you're only snorkeling, it is much safer with a dive buddy," she said.

"Don't blame me," said the little boy. "The problem with our oceans is that they're huge.""That's what I've been telling them for 60 years," said Paddy the Starfish.

"I'm going to put all you starfish in a cage with Triton and see which species get eaten," said Dan the Diver. "That should tell us its prey preference. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Don't blame me," said the little boy. "The problem with our oceans is that they're huge.""That's what I've been telling them for 60 years," said Paddy the Starfish."I'm just a baby, so don't blame me" said Junior to Bubbles the slug. "The problem is up there"."Something must have changed, but what was it?" said Angel Fish. "I suspect lots of things"."I know that you're talking about me," said Thorny passing by quickly for good reason."I know that you're here somewhere, Thorny" said Dan the diver. "You can't outrun me"."You won't get away next time Thorny," said Triton. "Your days are numbered"."That's all right for you to say Triton," said Nudibranch. "You have a shell and lots of food"."And the more often Thorny gets away, the hungrier they are for me," said another starfish."I might only be a shrimp, but I can look after myself when it comes to Thorny,""I don't mind a Thorny or two," said the Wrasse. "It's really a question of what we like to eat.""What do you mean by that Wrasse?" said the diver. "It depends on what we like to eat!"."I would have thought that it was obvious," said Wrasse. "I'm not just a pretty face"."It's not just what we eat," said baby starfish. "As I keep saying the problem is up there"."We're so pretty and up there they think that the ocean is so huge," said baby Fish."Thank-you Wrasse and Baby Starfish, the problem certainly starts up there, not down here"."President, Dan the Diver tells me that we have a problem. The ocean needs these shells"."All of us creatures play a role, even if we are just slugs, shrimp or starfish," they all said."So, at the end of the day it depends on us all, even humans. We can't just blame Thorny"

The giant triton (Charonia tritonis) is a beautiful shell and a well-known predator of the crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci). In many parts of the third world, it is still being collected in large numbers and sold to tourists as ornaments. As you admire the beautiful shell, spare a thought for the hungry mollusc that died. And don't forget, they live on starfish.Many species of starfish are known to outbreak in different parts of the world. Prior to human collection, the giant triton might have controlled starfish numbers not by eating the many, but by preventing the aggregation that precedes the outbreak. At present, little is known of any aspect of the triton's ecology despite its obvious importance in controlling starfish numbers.While the giant triton may be protected on the Great Barrier Reef and elsewhere in Queensland, there is still no evidence this protection has resulted in restored populations of the giant triton. However, there is evidence of continuing illegal collection and trade in Indonesia where it is also legally protected. It is now worth reconsidering whether the existing local protection is sufficient or whether further international protection is required by listing the Giant Triton in Appendix 2 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

The giant triton (Charonia tritonis) is a beautiful shell and a well-known predator of the crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci). In many parts of the third world, it is still being collected in large numbers and sold to tourists as ornaments. Many species of starfish are known to have outbreaks in different parts of the world. Prior to human collection, the giant triton might have controlled starfish numbers not by eating the many, but by preventing the aggregation that precedes the outbreak. At present, little is known of any aspect of the triton's ecology despite its obvious importance in controlling starfish numbers. A PDF file of the complete book "Starfish: A warning from the past" can be downloaded from either Trove or the Internet Archive. Both hard and soft cover printed books are available through links at the Charonia Research blog.