Bottomfeeder, Taras Grescoe

When Taras Grescoe wonders how ethical his seafood diet is, he sets off on a journey to find out the facts.  He finds some shocking facts, particularly concerning how disgusting and unhealthy fish farming is but how illegal fishing is also depleting stocks of increasingly rare fish like cod and the stocks are at risk of collapse.

The book is written with each chapter focusing on a specific type of fish in one location.  I liked this format because it provided smaller sections of interest that coalesced into one big, scary whole, with some positive notes.  Grescoe is very effective at hammering his point home.  He never uses fish terminology that is confusing, even when he’s on the boats.  He explains the different types of traps and just how they damage the environment or catch other fish.  With his positive chapters, he emphasizes that we can still eat fish healthily and ethically.  He even outlines what the government can do, things that scientists have been saying for years.  So it certainly isn’t all bad, just a wake-up call.  The ocean does not have a bottomless supply of fish and sometimes fish stocks don’t recover – we have to do what we can now.

I think this is an important book to read for everyone who wants to eat fish in the future.  Furthermore, it’s well written and clear, so it’s accessible to everyone.  I recommend it. Buy Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood on Amazon.