The planet will be home to more than 9 billion people by 2050, and we’re already seeing critical levels of famine around the world mirrored by growing obesity in developed nations. In “The Perfect Protein, “Andy Sharpless argues that protecting wild seafood can combat both issues, because seafood is the healthiest, cheapest, most environmentally friendly source of protein on earth. It has a small carbon footprint and requires minimal fresh water and land to produce, especially compared to beef, chicken, or pork.
While the conservation community has taken a simplistic, save-the-whales approach when it comes to oceans, Sharpless contends that we must save the world’s seafood not just to protect marine life and biodiversity but to stave off the coming humanitarian crisis.
Sharpless lays out how wild seafood can be managed and consumed sustainablywith positive consequences for marine life. With high demand for predator species like tuna and salmon, wealthy nations like the U.S. throw away “lesser” species such as anchovies, mackerel, and sardinesall packed with brain-enriching Omega-3 fatty acids and affordable to the worlds poorest. In spite of decades of global overfishing and the troubled fish-farming industry, Sharpless sees hope in ocean stewardship efforts that have allowed fish to rebound, such as the jack mackerel in Chile and the rockfish on the American East Coast. He profiles chefs who are truly putting sustainable seafood on the table: twenty of these, including Mario Batali, Eric Ripert, and Sam Talbot, offer recipes that make delicious use of overlooked species, helping us all play a role in this revolutionary mission to eat more fish to save the fish.
