Bottomfeeder: An Ethical Eater's Global Search for Vanishing Seafood

by Taras Grescoe

published

April 29th 2008 by Bloomsbury USA

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binding

Hardcover, 256 pages

isbn

1596912251 (isbn13: 9781596912250)

description

An eye-opening look at aquaculture that does for seafood what Fast Food Nation did for beef.

Dividing his sensibilit...more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 182)

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Jenni rated it:

(review of isbn 0002007819)

06/05/08

The wealth of information in this book is astounding. While jumping a bit from issue to issue (bottom-trawling to antibiotics to overfishing) he does a good summary at the end, and the stories he tells of fisherfolk around the world are wonderful.

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Rose added it (review of isbn 0002007819)

11/21/08

Read in November, 2008

It was a good read, (and I guess I'm kinda bragging here) but it didn't really do anything to change my mental map of fish to avoid. But it is really heartbreaking to remember the path of thinking that salmon farming would be what saves wild salmon (even thinking that the terrible taste of farmed salmon was a price I was willing to pay to save wild salmon) only to realize that farmed salmon actually kills wild salmon, and in addition to being terrible tasting is toxic! Luckily for me, my favori...more

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Tripp rated it:

(review of isbn 0002007819)

10/06/08

A few years back, Taras Grescoe wrote an entertaining travel/food book called the Devil's Picnic, which described his quest to try prohibited foods and beverages, including absinthe and raw milk cheese. His most recent book, Bottomfeeder, is just as entertaining, but also describes a serious global problem, namely, the devasation to the world's ecosystems caused by man's appetite for seafood.

Grescoe visits the home of many seafoods to show how the market for food is crushing seafood stocks. ...more A few years back, Taras Grescoe wrote an entertaining travel/food book called the Devil's Picnic, which described his quest to try prohibited foods and beverages, including absinthe and raw milk cheese. His most recent book, Bottomfeeder, is just as entertaining, but also describes a serious global problem, namely, the devasation to the world's ecosystems caused by man's appetite for seafood.

Grescoe visits the home of many seafoods to show how the market for food is crushing seafood stocks. In the Chesapeake Bay, he notes how overfishing and environmental damage have destroyed oysterbeds. Around Marseilles, he shows how invasive plantsand overfishing are wrecking the habitats for the fish that define bouillaibaise. In one of the more disturbing chapters he visits the shrimp farms of India, where much of your bottomless shrimp plate most likely begins life. These places are cesspools of chemicals and disease and they tend to kill off the natural mangrove habitats essential to biodiversity and sustainable fishing. Throughout, efficient but destructive fishing techniques are smashing habitats.

Grescoe isn't all doom and gloom. He does point out solutions that might improve things. He notes that product labeling in Japan is excellent, describing the source and the means of catching. In the Chesapeake Bay, he shows that farming oysters just might bring them back. Finally he notes that there are plenty of seafoods available that are not destructive.

The title of the book comes from what Grescoe believes we must become if we are to prevent the elimination of whole swathes of sealife. He argues that by going down the foodchain to the lower forms, including sardines, shellfish and, yes, jellyfish, we can get the health benefits of seafood without wrecking the environment at the same time. McDonald's gets a rare pat on the back when Grescoe notes that the highly sustainable pollock is the source for the Filet o' Fish.

I have picked up and put down a number of books on the state of seafood in the past year, but this one is a winner. Grescoe combines the amusing stories of travel, a strong love for food and a study of environmental impact that make for a great read....less

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Donna rated it:

(review of isbn 0002007819)

08/14/08

bookshelves: nonfiction, science

Read in August, 2008

recommends it for: everyone who eats seafood

This book does for the seafood industry what "Fast Food Nation" did for the beef industry. I alternated between feeling disgusted and hungry as I read. The only thing that would have made it better is if it included photographs. Grescoe thoroughly researched the topic, spending a year and a half traveling around the globe to interview fishermen, fish farmers, fishmongers, chefs, scientists, activists, and fellow seafood eaters. Some people may dismiss his claims as alarmist hyperbo...more

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Andrew rated it:

(review of isbn 0002007819)

08/26/08

Read in August, 2008

I like the idea of this book, but the subtitle "how to eat ethically in a world of vanishing seafood" is inaccurate. Grescoe is a journalist who likes to travel and write about the people and things he finds. Only the appendix truly addresses the subtitle, and even it screams for more information about all the things we see on menus and at the grocery store. Frankly, the www.seafoodwatch.org website does that much better.

This book is very accessible though and makes you ask questi...more

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Jim rated it:

(review of isbn 0002007819)

06/30/08

Read in June, 2008

I really enjoyed this book, but had to dock it a star on reconsideration. Grescoe does a great job getting into the social, political, historical, scientific, ethical and culinary aspects of fishing around the world, and in general I like his tone and pacing. But after the first two chapters dragged a bit, I learned that he sometimes went into deeper detail in some sections than I found interesting, e.g. the important dates in the development of a localized fishing alliance. So, as I continued, ...more

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Laurie added it (review of isbn 0002007819)

11/03/08

bookshelves: nonfiction, wms-order

Read in October, 2008

recommended to Laurie by: Matthew

Not just a fascinating book about seafood, but an excellent piece of food writing, and a detailed look at the lives and work of people around the world. Grescoe sketches memorable portraits of fishing regions from New England to India, the South of France to British Columbia. While some of what he shares is horrifying, the book left me with a strong desire to eat MORE seafood, especially the small fish he recommends. I've also started taking fish oil capsules, to make me smart. Recommended.

M...more

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1 comments

Alene rated it:

08/11/08

Read in August, 2008

I read this just after reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle. It felt very similar in the sense that it asks us to think about where our food comes from because these choices have environmental, cultural, and health impacts. This book was rich with information and detail but it flowed nicely. It brought to life the back stories for different sea food entrees. I actively avoid shrimp and salmon now and I'm interested in trying sardines (something that has never tempted me before!)...more

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Teresa rated it:

07/01/08

bookshelves: currently-reading

I've only read about 2 chapters so far, and some of the information I've already read elsewhere (such as Aubudon magazine, Defenders of Wildlife magazine, Eating Well magazine, Environmental Defense newsletter), but it is very well written and once I get into the parts where he tries these different seafood delicacies from around the world, it should get exciting since I'm a bit of a foodie. :) But, I think others should read it for the eye-opening info on why certain sea life populations are ...more

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TheTyee.ca added it (review of isbn 0002007819)

05/15/08

bookshelves: reviews

When Taras Grescoe declares he will try anything on his voyage around the world in search of ethical seafood, he means it. He eats poisonous pufferfish, morally questionable shark fin soup, and potentially dangerous oysters during months without r's. He even samples fishmeal (yuck). After 18 months of eating his way up and down the marine food chain, Grescoe exits a bottom-feeder -- committed to consuming fish lower on the marine food web, with the exception of...
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Melody rated it:

(review of isbn 0002007819)

08/12/08

Read in August, 2008

Searing indictment of the seafood industry. Well-written, informative but not without hope. There are also fascinating descriptions of strange and wonderful foods the author has eaten- including the pellets fed to farmed salmon (not very tasty, believe it or not).

I found that much of what I thought I knew about seafood was wrong, especially farmed fish.

If you eat any sort of fish at all, you really ought to read this book.

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Katy rated it:

(review of isbn 0002007819)

08/13/08

While the American version has a different subtitle (How to eat ethically in a world of vanishing seafood) I think this book is just essential. First of all, Grescoe is probably the best writer around these days. His similes and metaphors are so careful. It's like he spent weeks choosing every word of this text. A beautiful book that makes me care about seafood and is altering the way I shop and eat.

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Suzanna rated it:

(review of isbn 0002007819)

07/10/08

Read in July, 2008

recommended to Suzanna by: Salon

This book was amazing. I'm kind of obsessed with following food to it's source now anyway, and this book really filled that need nicely. Informative, well written, entertaining, delicious (not all, of course). I recommend it highly, it changed the way I look at seafood. But it left me pissed off too. There has to be a better way?

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Jeff rated it:

07/27/08

bookshelves: sustainability

Read in July, 2008

Just finished. Outstanding, eye-opening, disturbing, sickening, constructive, valuable. If you can't bear to have your stomach and conscience turned by learning the impact of your current seafood eating habits, at least read the appendix for sources of valuable information on how to shop for sustainably fished or farmed seafood.

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Carolyn rated it:

09/07/08

Read in September, 2008

Great overview of how to eat seafood sustainably. He doesn't just preach about what you shouldn't eat but also provides actual guidelines for eating sustainably and how the problem of overfishing can be solved...other than just not fishing at all. I highly recommend this for anyone who eats seafood.

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Jacque rated it:

(review of isbn 0002007819)

05/28/08

bookshelves: clean-up-the-planet-now

awesome round the world tour of the fishing industry. such a great read that my friends kept telling me to socialize and shut up about seafood. You will never look at salmon the same way again. any you CAN eat oysters!

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Jennifer rated it:

(review of isbn 0002007819)

08/13/08

Read in August, 2008

Depressing and frightening. Everything you don't want to read. Makes sushi a tough dinner to contemplate. Not the best written book, but comprehensive in its examination of the human assault on the oceans.

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Grillables rated it:

07/09/08

bookshelves: food, non-fiction

Read in July, 2008

A sobering look at the future - and current status - of fish and fisheries, leavened (perhaps a little inappropriately) with stories of Grescoe's experiences eating both ethically and unethically.

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Amy rated it:

06/22/08

Wonderful read...part environmental and part food critic. He gives amazing historical information on seafood and fishing. Everyone who cares about the future of the Ocean needs to read this book!

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Tiffany rated it:

(review of isbn 0002007819)

11/13/08

bookshelves: enviro, foodie

Read in January, 2008

This book should be required reading. Great reading for anyone who enjoys seafood, cooks it for others, or just wants to be informed about the marine food chain. Good times.

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