Ocean Literacy of black guillemots and polar bears, science literate Citizens versus the Nature Fakers

What is Ocean Literacy, where did it come from and why is ocean literacy important today for meeting today´s challenges? Authors and poets are presented to give a fuller definition and meaning to Ocean Literacy. John Burrows introduced the literary naturalist in 1871. By 1903 nature writing was rife with false observations and fictional accounts. In 1907 President Theodore Roosevelt silenced those he called ldquothe Nature Fakers.rdquo In 2007 the Nature Fakers returned with false mass media presentations and mailings. Misrepresentations of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) is claimed to be necessary for the requisite public and political responses to global warming - the ends justify the means. The arctic seabird, black guillemot (Cepphus grylle), is more directly tied to arctic sea ice ecology. Ocean literacy is the best defense against fakery and ocean-educated citizens with savvy collaborative leadership far better for human societies living on a healthier ocean planet.