Synopses & Reviews
An eye-opening look at aquaculture that does for seafood what Fast Food Nation did for beef. Dividing his sensibilities between Epicureanism and ethics, Taras Grescoe set out on a nine-month, worldwide search for a deliciousand humaneplate of seafood. What he discovered shocked him. From North American Red Lobsters to fish farms and research centers in China, Bottomfeeder takes readers on an illuminating tour through the $55-billion-dollar-a-year seafood industry. Grescoe examines how out-of-control pollution, unregulated fishing practices, and climate change affect what ends up on our plate. More than a screed against a multibillion-dollar industry, however, this is also a balanced and practical guide to eating, as Grescoe explains to readers which fish are best for our environment, our seas, and our bodies.
At once entertaining and illuminating, Bottomfeeder is a thoroughly enjoyable look at the worlds cuisines and an examination of the fishing and farming practices we too easily take for granted. Taras Grescoe is the author of The Devils Picnic and Sacre Blues: An Unsentimental Journey Through Quebec, which was shortlisted for the Writers Trust Award and was a national bestseller in Canada. His work appears in major publications all over the U.S., the UK, and Canada, including the Times, National Geographic, Independent, Condé Nast Traveller (UK), National Geographic Traveler, and the New York Times. He lives in Montreal.
Dividing his sensibilities between Epicureanism and ethics, Taras Grescoe set out on a nine-month, worldwide search for a deliciousand humaneplate of seafood. What he discovered shocked him. From North American Red Lobsters to fish farms and research centers in China, Bottomfeeder takes readers on an illuminating tour through the $55-billion-dollar-a-year seafood industry. Grescoe examines how out-of-control pollution, unregulated fishing practices, and climate change affect what ends up on our plate. More than a screed against a multibillion-dollar industry, however, this is also a balanced and practical guide to eating, as Grescoe explains to readers which fish are best for our environment, our seas, and our bodies.
Bottomfeeder highlights the diversity, complexity, and fragility of our oceans. Its an important reminder that we all have to take better care of our oceans if we want seafood in our future.”David Suzuki, co-founder, David Suzuki Foundation
If you're a seafood lover, pick up this guide to which fish are the best for our bodies and which are best for the environment.”San Francisco Chronicle
Research that brings muckraking books such as Fast Food Nation to mind.”Seattle Post-Intelligencer
From pollutants to piracy, preservatives to Patagonian toothfish, Grescoe surveys the state of our collective waterways in Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood, which combines some literal seabed muckraking with a fascinating travelogue . . . [An] aquatic The Omnivore's Dilemma.”Gothamist
Fascinating . . . will inform many about the dire state of the oceans, expose the dreadful environmental consequences of badly managed aquaculture, and prompt us to make better seafood choices . . . With clear, compelling writing, Grescoe covers a vast array of topics ranging from ecology (e.g. how overfishing affects ecosystems), cooking and eating (a trip to a Japanese restaurant that serves whale meat), economics (the business of black-market cod), and history.”Ethicurean
Grescoe takes us on an international tour of controversial cuisinesshark fin soup in China, whale sashimi in Japan, monkfish tail in New York Citymeanwhile offering an overview of the corrupt practices that have put the oceans (and our health) in danger. The portrait he paints is grim: oceanic dead zones that, because of pollution and overfishing, can no longer support organic life; salmon farms polluted by pesticides and disease; ruthless bottom trawlers with nets that can destroy entire ecosystems. A warning is not a death sentence, however. The book empowers consumers to ask the right questionsif the halibut is from the Atlantic or Pacific, for instance, and whether the lobster pasta is actually made from monkfish, which is endangered. And asking these questions will make it possible to enjoy seafood for years to come.”Salon.com
Grescoe's tale hits all the right notes. It's an entree you'll remember.”Fortune Small Business
In this whirlwind, worldwide tour of fisheries, Grescoe whiplashes readers from ecological devastation to edible ecstasy and back again. In disturbing detail, he depicts the turbid and murky Chesapeake Bay, where, with overharvested oysters too few to do their filtering job, fish are infested with the cell from hell, a micro-organism that eats their flesh and exposes their guts. He describes how Indian shrimp farms treated with pesticides, antibiotics and diesel oil are destroying protective mangroves, ecosystems and villages, and portrays the fate of sharksa collapsing fisheryfinned for the Chinese delicacy shark-fin soup: living sharks have their pectoral and dorsal fins cut from their bodies with heated metal blades . . . The sharks are kicked back into the ocean, alive and bleeding; it can take them days to die. But these horrific scenes are interspersed with delectable meals of succulent Portuguese sardines with fat-jeweled juices or a luscious breakfast of bluefin tuna sashimi, cool and moist . . . halfway between a demi-sel Breton butter and an unctuous steak tartare; the latter is a dish that, due to the fish's endangered status, Grescoe decides he won't enjoy again. The book ends on a cautiously optimistic note: scientists know what steps are needed to save the fisheries and the ocean; we just need the political will to follow through. Grescoe provides a helpful list of which fish to eat: no, never, depends, sometimes and absolutely, always.”Publishers Weekly
Review
“If you're a seafood lover, pick up this guide to which fish are the best for our bodies and which are best for the environment.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Research that brings muckraking books such as "Fast Food Nation" to mind.” —Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“From pollutants to piracy, preservatives to Patagonian toothfish, Grescoe surveys the state of our collective waterways in Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood, which combines some literal seabed muckraking with a fascinating travelogue…[An] aquatic The Omnivore's Dilemma.” —Gothamist
“Fascinating...will inform many about the dire state of the oceans, expose the dreadful environmental consequences of badly managed aquaculture, and prompt us to make better seafood choices...With clear, compelling writing, Grescoe covers a vast array of topics ranging from ecology (e.g. how overfishing affects ecosystems), cooking and eating (a trip to a Japanese restaurant that serves whale meat), economics (the business of black-market cod), and history.” —Ethicurean
“Grescoe takes us on an international tour of controversial cuisines -- shark fin soup in China, whale sashimi in Japan, monkfish tail in New York City -- meanwhile offering an overview of the corrupt practices that have put the oceans (and our health) in danger. The portrait he paints is grim: oceanic dead zones that, because of pollution and overfishing, can no longer support organic life; salmon farms polluted by pesticides and disease; ruthless bottom trawlers with nets that can destroy entire ecosystems. A warning is not a death sentence, however. The book empowers consumers to ask the right questions -- if the halibut is from the Atlantic or Pacific, for instance, and whether the lobster pasta is actually made from monkfish, which is endangered. And asking these questions will make it possible to enjoy seafood for years to come.” —Salon.com
“Grescoe's tale hits all the right notes. It's an entree you'll remember.” —Fortune Small Business
“In this whirlwind, worldwide tour of fisheries, Grescoe (The Devils Picnic) whiplashes readers from ecological devastation to edible ecstasy and back again.” —Publishers Weekly
“Bottomfeeder highlights the diversity, complexity, and fragility of our oceans. Its an important reminder that we all have to take better care of our oceans if we want seafood in our future.”—David Suzuki, co-founder, David Suzuki Foundation
Review
“Research that brings muckraking books such as
Fast Food Nation to mind.”—
Seattle Post-Intelligencer “Grescoe takes us on an international tour of controversial cuisines—shark fin soup in China, whale sashimi in Japan, monkfish tail in New York City—meanwhile offering an overview of the corrupt practices that have put the oceans (and our health) in danger.”—Salon
“Grescoes tale hits all the right notes. Its an entrée youll remember.”—Fortune Small Business
“Bottomfeeder is Grescoes story…a starting point for reflecting on where each of us draws the line about whats acceptable to eat and whats not.”—Gastronomica
Synopsis
An eye-opening look at aquaculture that does for seafood what
Fast Food Nation did for beef.
Dividing his sensibilities between Epicureanism and ethics, Taras Grescoe set out on a nine-month, worldwide search for a delicious and humane plate of seafood. What he discovered shocked him. From North American Red Lobsters to fish farms and research centers in China, Bottomfeeder takes readers on an illuminating tour through the 55-billion-dollar-a-year seafood industry. Grescoe examines how out-of-control pollution, unregulated fishing practices, and climate change affect what ends up on our plate. More than a screed against a multibillion-dollar industry, however, this is also a balanced and practical guide to eating, as Grescoe explains to readers which fish are best for our environment, our seas, and our bodies.
At once entertaining and illuminating, Bottomfeeder is a thoroughly enjoyable look at the world's cuisines and an examination of the fishing and farming practices we too easily take for granted.
Synopsis
“If youre a seafood lover, pick up this guide to which fish are the best for our bodies and which are best for the environment.”—San Francisco Chronicle Just when opting for omega-3-rich seafood is being recognized as one of the healthiest dietary choices a person can make, the news seems to be full of stories about mercury-laden tuna, shrimp contaminated with antibiotics, and diminishing fish stocks. Is it still even good for us? Bottomfeeder is the story of a seafood lovers round-the-world quest for a truly decent meal. A balanced and practical guide to eating—newly updated for the paperback edition—it explains which fish are best for the environment, the seas, and our bodies.
About the Author
Taras Grescoe is the author of The Devils Picnic and Sacre Blues: An Unsentimental Journey Through Quebec, which was shortlisted for the Writers Trust Award and was a national bestseller in Canada. His work appears in major publications all over the U.S., the UK, and Canada, including the Times, National Geographic, Independent, Condé Nast Traveller (UK), National Geographic Traveler, and the New York Times. He lives in Montreal.