Four Fish

I came across this book on a trip to Barnes and Noble - thought it was looked interesting but didn't buy it. Then, for my birthday this past year, my parents surprised me with it! I hadn't even put this title on my wish list. Apparently there had been some hype behind this book and it was making the non-fiction "books you should read" lists of publications like Newsweek and they thought I would like it.

 It was certainly an interesting read. As the title implies this book looks at the life history of 4 fish that often end up on someones dinner plate - Salmon, Sea Bass, Cod and Tuna. I really enjoyed his take on aquaculture. Yes, there are many species currently being farmed. The problem is the manner in which it is being done. Traditional aquaculture practices rely on a polyculture. Take the coy ponds of China - in these ponds the system involves algae, fish and ducks (at a minimum). The idea is that all elements in the pond feed on each other in a loop of sorts.

Today, many farms over look this and have a monoculture. This is where the problems begin. The waste builds up and creates anoxic conditions as well as the potential for disease. These farms also are usually dealing with genetically altered fish which can cause lots of problems when the fish escape and mix with the already stressed wild populations. A third problem is that many of the farmed fish today are carnivorous and require an excessive food input per pound of fish - in some cases 20 pounds of fish lower on the food chain to create 1 pound of tuna.

The good news amongst all this is there are alternatives for those of you eating fish. A couple new aquaculture species show that fish can be produced as a polyculture with minimal environmental impact and the product can go to market at a relatively low cost. The problem is people seem attached to the species currently on their plate. If, however, some of the pressure isn't reduced on our current populations those familiar species may no longer be available to the common person. The other good news is that people are starting to realize just how important marine sanctuaries are to fish populations - if you give the population a chance to rebound before its too late it often happens quickly. A win for the fish and a win for fisherman.


Another good read. It was well written - mixing the authors personal experiences with the science made for a page turner. In fact, a couple of my co-workers have already expressed interest in borrow it!