The Toll Dinner Takes

We hunt, we fish, we harvest - and while these are all processes we’ve evolved and evolved into, there is no doubt that they take a toll on the world around us. It’s simple math: sometimes, we consume faster than our food can reproduce. In his new book, The Ocean of Life, Callum Roberts takes this idea and delves a little deeper: into our world’s oceans. The effect humans have had on nature isn’t just confined to the oceans. They make their way to our tables, too. Thanks to a variety of effects, like commercial fishing, run-off, and rising temperatures, most of the species we eat have decreased significantly since their respective heydays. There is a modicum of hope, though. Roberts offers a few ideas for what you can do on a local level, as well as some larger, longer-term solutions. Will they work? No one can be sure. What we do know, though, is that if we continue at this rate of consumption, we’re headed toward potentially fishless seas. Which in turn, means fishless dinners. Maybe affecting change seems far-reaching, or idealistic, but according to Roberts, it’s not so far off. We say dinner is worth fighting for. ‘The Ocean of Life’—And the Sorrow Beneath the Sea from The Daily Beast