Reading at the Table: Bottomfeeder

The popularity of the Green movement has led to a huge increase in "green" books, especially regarding food. In the past few years, books like Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, Marion Nestle's Food Politics and Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation have become incredibly popular and have led to the publication of many other titles that examine the physical, ethical and environmental impact of food. In preparation for an upcoming book talk, I have been reading quite a few of these books, so I will be blogging about them over the next few weeks.

When it comes to seafood, I know there are some fish you should avoid, but I can never remember which ones. Or why. Taras Grescoe covers everything you need to know about seafood in his book Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood. Grescoe explains the various reasons we need to be careful about the type of fish we consume. With regards to environmental impact, many species have been overfished and many methods of capture are harmful to the ocean. Farmed fish often have a very negative impact on the environment as well. With regards to health, some species have higher levels of mercury, and some farmed fish have high levels of antibiotics and other contaminants. Grescoe very clearly outlines the issues and at the end provides a breakdown of what is and is not OK to eat.* Fascinating information about the seafood industry and fishing practices. The figures and statistics are staggering and will surely make you think twice the next time you eat fish. This is a great read for someone who wants to eat more conscientiously. And if you don't care, then you really need to read this book.

*Basically: the larger, longer-lived species of fish such as grouper and swordfish have been overfished and have higher levels of mercury. These are big no-no's. Most of the fish in the Atlantic ocean has been overfished as well, so go with Pacific. Farmed fish is usually ok if it's organic. Wild-caught is often ok if it is "local," meaning North America. Many other countries continue to overfish and use catch methods that are destructive to the ocean environment. The good news: the wild-caught Alaskan salmon is all good.