Strictly speaking, the pandemic has changed the way people live.
Who would have thought canned foods like sardines, anchovies and tuna would be prized as valuable goods?
As the pandemic continues, climate change is still a topic of conversation. Sustainability and planet-friendly processes are important with chefs trying to spread the word - even the French Michelin Guide has a ‘Sustainability Emblem’.
I chatted to award-winning author, Mark Kurlansky, who is the author of international bestsellers Cod, Salt, 1968, Food of a Younger Land and The Basque History of the World. His newest book, Salmon is one of the 11 shortlisted food and drinks books in this year’s André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards.
How does your work and research on Salmon differ to Cod? Your previous bestseller?
In my book on cod I chose to only focus on Atlantic cod since Pacific is not that historic or important a fishery. With salmon I wrote about Atlantic and Pacific, so all over the world. Also, it is both a land and sea-based animal so the ecological implications are far greater.
What is the ramification of salmon consumption? How do we, as consumers combat this?
Consumption is not a great issue. Overfishing is not the problem. There is little commercial fishing of Atlantic salmon and it is almost impossible to get wild Atlantic salmon in a store. Wild Pacific is available in season but generally well regulated. So, you can eat wild salmon to your hearts content if you can find it and afford it. Most people, especially Europeans, are eating farmed salmon. There are many problems with farmed salmon being harmful to wild. So that is something to think about.
In a world where Climate Change is thrown around loosely, your work, Salmon takes a closer look at the overall negative impact of a simple fish many consume on a daily basis - how worried should we all be?
I don’t know that Climate Change is thrown around loosely. There is no more critical problem. If we want the world to be liveable for our children and grandchildren, we better start reversing it. Over consumption, if you mean of fish, is not the problem. The problem is that when the young salmon go to sea they do not make it back to the river to spawn because the Atlantic Ocean no longer produces enough to feed large fish like salmon and cod. Given the interconnected nature of the food web this is devastating. If the ocean can no longer feed the animals that live in it this is a huge calamity and it is caused by climate change, the shift in chemical content in the sea caused by the over presence of carbon. Eat fish but think about how you heat your home, what kind of car you drive, what are acceptable industries, what kind of jobs should we be creating. That is how you will save fish and save yourself.
Are there any countries who are setting the right example?
Some places are better than others. Scarcely populated places with little agriculture such as Alaska, the Russian Kamchatka or Iceland are ideal and they are doing pretty well. Better than most.