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80th out of 103 books
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40 voters
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Tuna: A Love Story
The author of The Book of Sharks, Imagining Atlantis, and Encyclopedia of the Sea turns his gaze to the tuna—one of the biggest, fastest, and most highly evolved marine animals and the source of some of the world’s most popular delicacies—now hovering on the brink of extinction. In recent years, the tuna’s place on our palates has come under scrutiny, as we grow increasing...more
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
July 15th 2008
by Knopf
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This is a great book - if you are an ichthyologist. This book will inform you of everything and anything you would want to know about Tuna. There are certain parts of this book that remind me of Herman Melville's "Moby Dick". A great story, but his laborious description of whales brought many a reader to their knees.
Why would I want to read this book?
Well, I have heard stories about how great this fish is, and how we are fishing it to extinction. The book do...more
Why would I want to read this book?
Well, I have heard stories about how great this fish is, and how we are fishing it to extinction. The book do...more
Richard Ellis loves tuna. Not so much on the plate, but as a top predator that deserves its place in the world's oceans.
"Tuna: A Love Story" goes way beyond boy-meets-fish. The book is stuffed with facts, figures and research, but the organization needed to sort it out isn't there. It seems to have been written in a rush, perhaps because Ellis wanted the book released while you could still see tuna in the wild. I think many readers will become confused sorting out the deta...more
"Tuna: A Love Story" goes way beyond boy-meets-fish. The book is stuffed with facts, figures and research, but the organization needed to sort it out isn't there. It seems to have been written in a rush, perhaps because Ellis wanted the book released while you could still see tuna in the wild. I think many readers will become confused sorting out the deta...more
For millions of years the oceans teemed with large, pelagic predatory fish. These species, most majestically the Bluefin Tuna, roamed the oceans at will - crossing the Atlantic in weeks.
Millions of years of evolution made the Bluefin Tuna the perfect fish. The Bluefin Tuna was warmblooded, could accelerate faster a Porsche, and (if it survived larvahood) live for decades.
Tragically, the king of the seas is no match for the sushi craze. Japanese, who never ate Bluefin...more
Millions of years of evolution made the Bluefin Tuna the perfect fish. The Bluefin Tuna was warmblooded, could accelerate faster a Porsche, and (if it survived larvahood) live for decades.
Tragically, the king of the seas is no match for the sushi craze. Japanese, who never ate Bluefin...more
Max Maxwell
rated it
Recommends it for:
People who can turn anger into productivity
Recommended to Max by:
SEED magazine
To most people, tuna isn't a fish, but rather a food item that comes in a can, disconnected from anything it might've been in life, to be mixed with celery and mayonnaise, or served on a plate with wasabi, without requirement of further contemplation. To Richard Ellis (and other biologists like him), though, the tuna is a masterpiece of evolution, the most perfectly adapted creature on earth, a wonder to behold. And it turns out that this wonder is in serious (immanent, even) danger of being wip...more
Ellis' description of tuna farming was eye-opening, as was the state of the bluefin tuna fishery. One has to wonder just how long the fishery can be sustained while the japanese market for a-grade sashimi pays a small fortune for each fish? Unfortunately, the book was full of repetition, which made it a tiresome read at times.
This is a very engaging book on the plight of the tuna. I had the opportunity to hear Mr Ellis speak the other day and he was adamant about not eating tuna at all any more..not that he doesn't love to eat it, but due to the dangerously high mercury content of the fish.
I was shocked to learn how overfished the Bluefin tuna is, and the very real danger to the world's future fish supply. However, the book is full of mind-numbing statistics, which makes it a difficult book for me to appreciate.
Its about fishing, so obviously I liked it, BUT its really scientific... a bit boring. I read it once, bought it a second time by accident and didn't remember reading it the first time.
I think there is a very good story buried in here somewhere. But this was poorly organized and needed to be seriously edited down. He repeats himself a lot.
A little repetitive at times. Well researched but constant quoting can take away from the narrative. Was hoping for something a little more polemical but he puts for a pretty convincing case at the devastating state of the world's fisheries.
You'd be better off reading a general fish biology book and a life history account of the various tuna species than reading this book.
everything you will ever need to know about tuna, if youre interested.
So far, I love this book. I think Ells could use a better editor (too much repetition), but he has an irresistible argument. More Fish, Less Sushi.
read it !
Emily
marked it as to-read
@ Weber.
I heard an interview on NPR with the author. He was soooooo totally excited about tuna that he got me totally enthused too!
Did you know that in 40 degree water a tuna can raise it's own body temp to 80 degrees? That is remarkable! When I was little my mom always made me wear my coat. I don't know why, but wearing a coat when it was 20 degrees outside was SO super embarrassing. I guess tuna children don't have to have that same fight with their tuna mothers.
I heard an interview on NPR with the author. He was soooooo totally excited about tuna that he got me totally enthused too!
Did you know that in 40 degree water a tuna can raise it's own body temp to 80 degrees? That is remarkable! When I was little my mom always made me wear my coat. I don't know why, but wearing a coat when it was 20 degrees outside was SO super embarrassing. I guess tuna children don't have to have that same fight with their tuna mothers.
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Non-fiction but read like an engaging PBS special. Pretty disheartening to learn about how this blue fin tuna is almost extinct because of human's unwillingness to learn how to share and care for the world. When did the morals we learned in Preschool become obsolete?
If you have to eat sushi, learn about what you are eating and where it is coming from. Make informed decisions. Don't be a Goofus when it comes to the environment and the world. Be a Gallant!
If you have to eat sushi, learn about what you are eating and where it is coming from. Make informed decisions. Don't be a Goofus when it comes to the environment and the world. Be a Gallant!
another episode of the strange stories behind our food. Bluefin tuna farms, tokyo fish markets, tuna cowboys...it's all here. Did a segment with Ellis on Science Friday back in September.
good lord, this book needs an editor. half the information was repeated across multiple chapters. otherwise, reading about purse seiners was totally heartbreaking.
Renee
marked it as to-read
Just heard a half hour interview with the author. This seems like a book for anyone who like the ocean, fish, sushi, etc. Can't wait to pick it up.
Due back to the library, so I didn't finish it. Read about 1/3. OK, but he's no Carl Safina.
Gretchen
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