Have you read "Bottomfeeder" by Taras Grescoe?

Grescoe does a thorough job of investigating and tasting the world's gastronomical seafood delicacies while deciphering their chronological relevance to today's conscientious consumers of seafood who may be confused with the mixed messages associated with the numerous species of seafood available.
The subtitle of Bottomfeeder is "How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood". This is a little misleading in as much as, throughout Grescoe's journey, he does not resist the urge to eat any potentially unethical seafood choices, rather the opposite he tries them all with enthusiasm and has obviously prepared his list of seafoods to eat with careful attention to detail. In the end he justifies his consumption of just about all seafood delicacies one could possibly find in the international market place. My initial reflection after reading this book was to infer that Gresco believes as long as you write a book about it after you eat it then you have satisfied all criteria necessary to feel ethically justified in your consumption. He probably didn't mean to imply any such thing however his conscience doesn't get the best of him until after his global gastronomical seafood journey is over.
For me, the triumph and the struggle is what eating ethically is all about. We must make tiny compromises to maintain our values in a world of ever increasing awareness of our codependency on one another and the planet with respect for our inherent right to behave with self interest and continue our personal investigative journey throughout our own lives. Grescoe avoids any compromises in Bottomfeeder and I think he makes an unintentional point asserting he deserves to eat cooler seafood from around the world than you do. Of course that could not be further from the truth. First of all there is plenty of cool and amazing gastronomical seafood experiences to be had by consumers with conscience and the book does mention some of them. Alternately, a few compromising choices once in a while is a far cry from a continuous journey of non-stop self indulgence of all things seafood - endangered, rare, deadly, dangerous, or otherwise unethical. If all worldly seafood consumers made a conscious effort to eat ethically, at least as well as they are capable, for at least 90% of the time we could have a profound impact on the market which anticipates our self indulgence and demand above all else. We could willfully set an example for seafood consumers who unknowingly engage in the unethical consumption of seafood to the detriment of all our shared delight. The greatest possible thing we can do for healthful seafood is increase the awareness and attention of our concerns and values. And and we can demonstrate how our values are not in conflict with any one's quality of life; they are very necessary to the sustained quality of life we currently enjoy. Yet what seems obvious to us may not be so obvious, that our quality of life which can be enjoyed by others still yet to begin their journey of self exploration and whom are entitled to their own self interest one day, must be proteced if more people intend to continue the shared pleasure of eating high quality freshest tasting seafood.
I have been an avid reader of non fiction for most of my life and the subject of seafood has always been of interest to me. It is my opinion that Bottomfeeder is an appealing and informative book that will be sure to satisfy any culinary seafood aficionado and/or ethical food movement enthusiast. It is a must read if you wish to gain greater understanding of the complexity behind the consequences of the seafood consumption choices you make.
Furthermore, I am grateful to my new friend Dina for lending me her copy of Bottomfeeder. It was a terrific addition to my bedside-table/night-reading program. Dina has continued to allow Otolith to source her sustainable seafood; it has been my pleasure too.
There is one more point that I should make before closing the book on Bottomfeeder. In it the term long-liner is used to describe a specific style of commercial fishing harvest gear type. Long-lining consists of setting multiple hooks on long lines flanked with weights to set on the ocean bottom for the efficient harvest of the larger species of bottom feeding fish. There are several variations of the long-line type harvester with varying degrees of efficiency and evasiveness's regarding impact on the environment. Grescoe depicts long-lining as an altogether unfavorable harvest gear type and leaves out a great deal of information necessary to understanding the different styles of long-lines all of which are not bad. While some mono filament style long-liners are a threat to the ocean's health by contributing hundreds of miles of mono filament waste threatening other species and often responsible for harvesting more fish than can be effectively managed in our current international industry fishery managment system, others represent a segment of our historical fishing history which had once maintained and sustained its self for generations while providing cost effective year-round seafood to the market and maintaining a responsible relationship with the ocean and a reasonable environmental impact as a result of its harvest. This latter style long-liner uses fishing lines which can be made of materials like polyester or hemp and it runs gear one or two miles long rather than several hundred. This means that there are far fewer incidences of lost gear as a result of the higher cost of the line and gear and owing to the shorter lengths under the control of the harvest operations at any one time. To forsake all long liners is to forsake affordable seafood. I share Grescoe's concern for the former style harvester and caution readers to know your seafood harvesters. If commercial fisherman are the enemy [just kidding] then keep them close to your breast and set new baselines for the level of acceptable impact they may have on our shared environment as a result of their benefit and yours.
CSS 2010 Spring Halibut Harvest Program is available in Philadelphia and surrounds. Call Otolith to inquire about CSS in a town near you.