What seafood is the most eco-friendly & sustainable? (Book review: Eat Like a Fish by Bren Smith)

A topic I have often debated and thought about. What type of seafood (prawns, fish, clams, oysters, mussels) are the most sustainable and eco-friendly ones? Should I leave them off my food completely? Are there any sustainable methods in the sea-food industry? These and many more questions I have been asking myself in the latest time and has been even more fueled after my discovery of bottom trawling (dredgers), my view on the sustainability and health of our oceans and seas has never been the same. I can not grasp how such cruelty and destruction must happen before the greedy wakes up from their spell as currently, it feels we might truly soon be hitting a point of no return. The extended forest fires in (Russia, Brazil, Bolivia, Indonesia, and Australia), the high temperatures of Antarctica (over 20 C), the bleaching of the corals due to warmer seas and accelerating rate of extinction of species faster than they can evolve (with estimated extinction rates up to 45 000 times their natural speed) and so on...

This brings me to a book written by Bren Smith about 3D ocean farming which is truly genius in my humble opinion and I hope is not too forward-thinking and evolved for its time and that humanity will be able to accept and learn from it, the book is called Eat like a fish.

Eat like a fish by Bren Smith

Bren Smith says that ,,climate change is going to force us to eat zero-input foods, the question is, is it going to be delicious,, or not? Mr. Smith who is a former commercial fisherman turned ocean farmer who pioneered the development of restorative 3D ocean farming, co-founder of GreenWave, ecological pioneer is the author of the book: Eat like a fish - my adventure as a fisherman turned restorative ocean farmer which is full of extremely easy yet ground-breaking ideas and we will be asking ourself, why this industry has not evolved earlier. 

Reviews from some other publications: 

,,A perfect balance between storytelling and blueprint for a new way 

to harvest our seas that can create meaningful jobs while 

simultaneously combatting climate change.,, 

- Forbes 

,,Bren Smith is a hero of ours - not just for his ingenious vertical farming

of kelp and shellfish in the Thimble Islands, but for facing squarely the 

root causes of one crisis with many symptoms:

climate change, desertification, obesity, and hunger.

This book shows us new ways to grow food and make a living 

that can both heal the planet and make life more satisfying.,,

- Yvon Choinard, Founder of Patagonia

,,Seaweed is the food of the future; it's a powerhouse of nutrition

and holds a world of untapped flavor and deliciousness. Bren's underwater

kelp farms can feed us for years to come and the more we eat, 

the more we also give back to the ocean. This book leads the way.,,

- René Redzepi, Head chef & Co-owner Restaurant noma

,,Smith in an articulate, very human ambassador for sustainable, 

ethical and environmentally beneficial mariculture, weaving his plea 

for changing the way we eat with solid proof of why it's so necessary. 

He includes a global history here as well, spanning coastal cultures from China 

and Japan to Scotland and Atlantic Canada, all rich with best practices 

and viable traditions...If this new age of ,climate cousine, 

needs an introduction, Eat Like a Fish is surely it.,,

- Book Page 

The book is full with many interesting topics about how you, too could set up your 3D ocean farm, about his life since he dropped out of school at the age of 14, about the memories he has from working on a destructive trawling boat, how ocean farming is so important to tackle climate change, feed the Earths population, reduce the need for cruelty filled land animal farming, removing CO2, nitrogen absorbing seaweed and shellfish, the difference between ocean farming and aquaculture, history of eating sea greens, environmentalism, overfishing, pollution and the complete direspect many humans have for the life giving seas. 

The most sustainable seafood according to this book (and I fully agree) are those which he proposes to grow and harvest in his 3D ocean farm and those are: oysters, clams and seaweed. 

I truly recommend this book as it is unvealing a whole new world wehere we can thrive nutritionally, environmentally, along with the oceans and the nature as well as providing an abundance or work, living and passion for us people.

* Disclaimer: This post contans amazon affiliate links to purchase the book: Eat Like a Fish by Bren Smith. I have not been paid in any shape of form for this article nor has the book been given for me for free.I have written this article purely of my large respect for this topic. If you purchase trough this amazon affiliate link I will be paid a small comission at no extra cost for you. This helps me to upkeep this blog and pay for the running costs of is (for example domain name).