Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #252880 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The author of this forceful, sometimes discursive book contends that fish farming, though touted as compensating for the world's dwindling fish supply, actually depletes ocean resources and creates more problems than it solves. After observing salmon and shrimp farms, especially in Maine and Mexico, and speaking with those who support and oppose aquaculture, Molyneaux (The Doryman's Reflection), who has been a fisherman himself, presents some disturbing facts. For example, farmed fish suffer from diseases, and the antibiotics used to treat them can enter the food chain and lead to the proliferation of disease-resistant bacteria. In addition, fish farms use pesticides that contaminate the ocean; wild fish have to be caught to feed farmed fish, resulting in further decimation of already depleted wild fish stocks; and there's a danger of genetic pollution when farmed fish escape and crossbreed with wild fish. Molyneaux's argument gets hazy when it wanders into a discussion of ecological economics, and offers no alternatives to aquaculture other than vague proposals that fishermen take a more active role in wild stock preservation. But he is mostly able to use his firsthand knowledge of the fishing industry to make a powerful case against aquaculture. Photos not seen by PW. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
A longtime fisherman turned marine journalist, Molyneaux is the author ofThe Doryman's Reflection (2005). In his second investigative book, he reports on the state of aquaculture with brio and concern, focusing on the farming of salmon and shrimp off the coasts of Maine and Mexico. As the global demand for seafood and the reach of fishing technologies exceeded nature's supply and fisheries collapsed, aquaculture was touted as the solution. But as Molyneaux painstakingly chronicles, problems abound. Viruses attack tightly packed farm populations and rapidly spread to wild fish. Antibiotic-laced feed and pesticides used to control parasites have infiltrated the food chain. On the social-justice side of the equation, local fishermen have been pushed out by corporate multinationals. A veteran of myriad industry and government meetings, a thorough reader of reams of data, and a tireless interviewer and traveler, Molyneaux vividly portrays aquaculture players and critics and offers a scathing indictment of the fishing industry's failure to recognize the drastic toll of overfishing and the environmental hazards of aquaculture. He concludes, "Irreparable damage has been done." Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Customer Reviews

Pretty informative
Molyneaux has decided to take up the banner and raise awareness about the possabilities of aquaculture as a means of sustainance for the worlds population. He mostly focuses on the bad elements of the aquaculture revolution and points out the destruction and impact on lives that this emerging industry has brought with it.

As a student of aquaculture I was disheartend to read this book as my view is that aquaculture is indeed the only way forward for us if we want to consume any type of fish without doing irreverseible damage to the worlds rivers and oceans. While I agree with Molyneaux that there is significant drawbacks to the practices that we have followed so far, and that big industry needs to be monitired and forced to play by the rules, I still feel that this industry is in its infancy and does hold hope for the world.

The book is punctuated by bad spelling and formatting of paragraphs and at the end there is a disclaimer that they ran out of time. There were a number of times through the reading of the book where these errors made me think of stopping my reading of the book but I carried on and I am glad I did. Molyneaux did some great research when writing the book but there is one quote by a captain from Gloucester, MA whose last name was James and I didnt see him referenced in the sources at the end of the book. The quote was about the Captains views on trawling at the time (1920's). If anyone knows what this quote was sourced from can you let me know as I would like to read it.

Anyhow this is my first review on AMAZON and I do recommend this book, as its important that people understand the challanges faced with bringing that slab of salmon or pound of shrimp to your table.

For All Global Citizens: A Courageous Stand
I have finished "Swimming in Circles" and it has made a difference for me in understanding many arenas. I have a clearer understanding of the battle being waged between technocrats and naturalists. I am far more aware of the impact economic motivators are having on our ecosystem and their threat to sustainability. I believe Molyneaux has successfully balanced diplomatic protocol with journalistic responsibility. It is important to raise consciousness and at the same time I see, now, there is also a sense of urgency in doing so.

Molyneaux's writing is an example of what is possible when a wild and youthful Kerouacian grows beyond young paradigms and doesn't sell out, but rather he builds on top of the worlds he has known and creates new models for enlightened living, freedom and fulfillment.

Interesting but not convincing

Ths book's core claim is that aquaculture uses more resources than other forms of fishing and is environmentally and socially unsustainable. However, Molyneaux does not really argue his case. Instead, he structures the book as a kind of journalistic travelogue, telling the story of how he met people, talked to them about these issues, and came to his conclusions. Throughout the book, his opposition to aquaculture rests more on vague discomfort than sharp analysis.

Molyneaux favors greater localism in our national and international economies, with people eating more locally-produced food. However, he doesn't really make the positive case for localism but rather makes negative statements about non-localism. Since it's possible that non-localism uses fewer resources than localism because it can exploit comparative advantage (even net of transportation impact), this is an issue that requires analysis and not just stories about local producers.

The book works best if you want the kind of socially-concerned journalistic ride that Molyneaux's offering. He gives the reader a good sense of two communities, one in Mexico and one in Maine, that have been transformed by aquaculture. The book doesn't have answers but it's asking the right questions.