Trying deperately to finish "Bottomfeeder" before I have to return it to the library. Definitely an engaging book for anyone who is concerned about the remaining fish supplies in the world. It explains in an anecdotal fashion about the various problems that exist, how they arose, and solutions that can be tried. If you have ever been confused why the Monterey Bay Aquarium cautions against eating farmed salmon and shrimp, and for their wild cousins, this explains why. Basically, we pen these animals in overcrowded conditions, where they contract all kinds of disease and parasites, for which we add pesticides, antibiotics etc., and feed them with massive amounts of bait fish, depleting those stocks. The salmon fisheries are located at the head of wild salmon runs, so the wild stocks have to swim through a cloud of parasites before they enter the sea. Predictably, many die as a result. Norwegian companies have fouled their own coasts badly in this way, so they are now seeking other places to mess up - like Canada. If we just set up these systems away from the coast as giant aquariums, as is being done for sturgeon in Canada and the US and shrimp in Mexico, and turbot in France and Bluefin in Japan, we could farm fish without threatening the environment and wild stocks. Apparently it would add 30% to the cost of a salmon fillet. This is the problem with capitalism. Wipe out species through carelessness so your fillet can be a buck cheaper. Why conservatives cant see this, I dont know. I'm sure they will blame the collapse of pacific salmon stocks on Obama, even as they encourage him to deregulate the industry. Hannity bleats daily that the Sacramento Delta Smelt should be wiped out so farmers can continue raising crops in the desert. Of course, in his playbook, the smelt isnt food for anything. The wild fish we eat, well they eat fish pellets made by corporations. Or something. And if you havent heard of "menhaden", you need to look it up.
Recommend 7/10 for those who are interested in sustainability and want to know just what you CAN eat without assisting in the destruction of the ecosystem.
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