Excellent book. I've learned so much, including that I have a lot more thinking aboit what to do as a fish eater right now when the power of consumption choices is so minimal.and we need powerful policy decisions. ( )

Fascinating and informative. I've been reading it in pieces between less interesting books. Although this isn't a very old book, already so much has changed (particularly our environmental policy) that I don't know how accurate much of the present-to-future sections are anymore. I hope we get it together soon. ( )

We tend to credit physical scientists and inventors with creativity, intelligence, and hard work, and hold them in high esteem. "Four Fish" points out that inventions aren't limited to electrical and mechanical devices and machines. Paul Greenberg documents the innovation and creativity in fish farming and those who overcame huge obstacles to increase the availability of many of our popular fish. The book was much more interesting than I would have initially guessed when I selected it. ( )

Through the lens of the salmon, bass, cod and tuna fisheries, a thoughtful examination of the effects of overfishing, ill-conceived policies, and domestic farming have had on our last great resource. The decline of Georges Bank and the Massachusetts’ fishing industry have convinced me of the severity of this issue. Highly recommended if you have concerns about the environment and our food stream.

The book is interesting, but it can get a bit slow in some spots. This is a look at four fish that we eat, getting a little bit of history about each fish and a look at their current status and condition. Overall, the basic conclusion is that these fish are pretty much on the way out in terms of their numbers in the oceans and rivers. Tuna is particularly in danger of being lost, and the sad thing is, even if some of us chose not to eat these fish, someone else will be happy to pick up the slack so to speak. For instance, the Japanese are more than happy to keep eating their tuna sushi, which they claim has a "long" tradition, but that is far from the truth as Greenberg points out (basically, the Japanese acquired a taste for bluefin post-World War II. Read more about that in the book).

Greenberg also makes references to Kurlansky's book on cod, which I have not read. While it is not required for you to have read Kurlansky, if you did read it, it may be interesting to compare notes.

Not all is doom and gloom for the fish. There are solutions and options for fish harvesting, but it may mean choosing other lesser known fish that can be harvested in an easier way and more efficiently. Historically, the problem, Greenberg argues, is that we have chosen to exploit, whether by overfishing or over-farming, fish that are not really suited for large scale exploitation. To make the change and move to more sustainable options will take time and attitude as well as taste changes. ( )