Product Description

There’s simply no limit to the sins people will commit for a tasty meal. The Japanese are notorious for their trade in bluefin tuna, served up to diners at almost illegal prices, while newlyweds in Bangkok, Shanghai and Singapore devour a gelatinous soup made from poached abalone and fins hacked from living sharks. But surely there’s no need for you to feel bad about ordering sea bass in a London restaurant? Unless, of course, you consider that you may well be enjoying one of the very last members of the species. And that’s before you contemplate the chemicals being pumped into the farmed prawns and salmon that now fill supermarket shelves.

In Bottomfeeder, we follow Taras Grescoe on a year-long, round-the-world trip, as he eats his way from the top to the bottom of the food chain with one purpose in mind: to find out whether he can continue to eat such delicacies in good conscience. As well as painting a vivid and often hilarious picture of the fascinating people Taras encounters, Bottomfeeder explores the impact we are having on sea life by overfishing and draws our attention to some of the ethical choices we can make. At a time when many of the fish we take for granted are on the verge of extinction, we need to face the fact that very soon jellyfish sandwiches may be all that is left for us to eat.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #111972 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

The Observer
'Grescoe charts (the fish crisis) with muscular prose and a well stamped passport.'

Observer
'entertaining treatment of a vital issue, it is an important book that anyone who thinks they care about the environment.'

The Guardian
'a stunning expose of human folly with fishing around the globe.'

Customer Reviews

A must read for all
I read a review of this in the Guardian and was instantly interested. I'm trying to do whatever I can to eat ethically and this is a great book to make people aware of the plight of our oceans.

The author provides a completely unbiased view of the the plights of specific species and writes in depth of not only the usual factors we associate (overfishing, global warming), but of trophic levels and the invasion of habitat by alien species.

After finishing this book I am now far more aware of what I take and put in to the oceans.

Excellent, informative and thought provoking on a VERY IMPORTANT issue!
Taras Grescoe has written a brilliant book on the impact of seafood culture on the planet. It is a definite must for everyone worried about the world we are building for our children. Well thought out, flowing prose and extensive list of practical info as well as links for further study. Buy it, read it and keep it close at hand: you ll need to get back to it.