The End of the Line - How Overfishing Is Changing the World and What We Eat (Hardcover)

Sushi lovers, even fans of a plain old tuna sandwich: Prepare to be put off your feed."Fishing with modern technology is the most destructive activity on Earth," writes British journalist Clover. Imagine, he instructs, a drag line tied between two bulldozers and dragged across the veldt. Impala, wildebeest, rhinos and lions fall. Because there is no market for much of the catch, a vast pile of corpses and wrecked habitat is left behind. So it is with the world's oceans, a vast killing field filled with technologically sophisticated deep-ocean fleets from the First World devastating the waters of the Third. (On that score, Clover writes, there's no mystery to the great concentration of fishing boats off the coast of Somalia: It has no government and can't complain.) Global fisheries are badly overexploited, even though official statistics from international agencies and national governments lie about the real numbers so their fishing activities will not be curtailed. Moreover, Clover reports, "the global fishing fleet is estimated to be two and a half times greater than needed to catch what the ocean can sustainably produce." The illegalities, improprieties and bureaucratic screens surrounding the world of industrial fishing are astonishing, to say nothing of the denial that anything is wrong. Clover is merciless in reporting them even as he, a dedicated pursuer of trout, allows that commercial fishing is not the only bad guy: Amazingly, especially in the U.S., everyone wants to be a sport angler, so that the Gulf of Mexico is now practically bereft of red snapper, even as the rest of the oceans are without their teeming shoals-and even as the population of fish-hungry humans swells.Want to feel less guilty about all the destruction? Have a fish sandwich at McDonald's-and maybe club a baby harp seal on the way. For the reasons, read Clover's sobering book, and adjust diet accordingly. (Kirkus Reviews)

Gourmands and health-conscious consumers alike have fallen for fish; last year per capita consumption in the United States hit an all-time high. Packed with nutrients and naturally low in fat, fish is the last animal we can still eat in good conscience. Or can we?

In this vivid, eye-opening book--first published in the UK to wide acclaim and now extensively revised for an American audience--environmental journalist Charles Clover argues that our passion for fish is unsustainable. Seventy-five percent of the world's fish stocks are now fully exploited or overfished; the most popular varieties risk extinction within the next few decades.

Clover trawls the globe for answers, from Tokyo's sumptuous fish market to the heart of New England's fishing industry. He joins hardy sailors on high-tech boats, interviews top chefs whose menu selections can influence the fate of entire species, and examines the ineffective organizations charged with regulating the world's fisheries. Along the way he argues that governments as well as consumers can take steps to reverse this disturbing trend before it's too late. The price of a mouthwatering fillet of Chilean sea bass may seem outrageous, but "The End of the Line" shows its real cost to the ecosystem is far greater.

General

Imprint:	The New Press
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	November 2006
First published:	November 2006
Authors:	Charles Clover
Dimensions:	215 x 147 x 34mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	386
ISBN-13:	978-1-59558-109-9
Categories:	Books Promotions
LSN:	1-59558-109-X
Barcode:	9781595581099

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