While grabbing my second espresso of the day, I had the good luck to turn on the radio and catch the end of Richard Ellis interview by Leonard Lopate on his book Tuna: A Love Story (Borzoi Books-Knopf, July 2008).
The author wet my appetite for more details on his book with his description of the long trips that live Bluefins take (they can make it from Japan to California and back).
After being caught say in Massachusetts, they might be shipped to Japan to be sold and then come back to the US shores in some form to be found on some of the top restaurants tables.
The myth of fresh tuna was laid to rest (most is frozen).
Richard Ellis also makes us realize that the Sushi mania is a relatively new phenomenon (30 years maybe).
Not so long ago, no one wanted to buy Bluefin so it was used for Pet Food.
Tuna: A Love Story worries about the possible extinction of Bluefin and its consequences for the eco-sytem.
Christine Thomas in her August 17 Review (Miami Herald) feels that "this comprehensive book carries a tone of resignation about the tuna’s imminent extinction".
John Balzar in his July 20 Review (LA Times) highlights "sushi and overfishing: How the human appetite is sending a majestic fish toward extinction".
Richard Ellis is also a well known painter of Marine subjects.
Related: Basa, Dab or Vietnamese Clams, Sustainable Fish from A to Z