The Philosopher Fish: Sturgeon, Caviar, and the Geography Of Desire (original 2005; edition 2005)

The thrilling, elegantly written crime-story, travelogue, history and adventures of a 250-million year old fish that has 4, 8 or 16 chromosomes. Yes, of course it is about caviar as well, as the inventor of the word “ecology” and founder of the Sierra Club himself John Muir said, way back in the 1800s, “you follow the money” and the money, in caviars case, leads to the death and extinction of one of the world’s greatest fish, the sturgeon.

The attempts to save the endangered species of the world, from man’s grasping greed, are nearly all sad stories with very unhappy endings. The importance of the sturgeon is not in the “black gold” of caviar alone, not the jaded palates of our Gatsby’s, but in its links to our own evolution and understanding. Carey undertook research in the sturgeons waters from Florida’s Suwannee River – where my wife had the privilege of seeing a sturgeon leap like a mackerel – to the weirdness and corruption of Turkmenistan. This book has been built upon very much boots-on-the ground research, which yielded facts, characters and experiences that made the author weep. It is only a story about a fish … and a scaly monstrous, dragon-like beast at that … but the pathos of this animal’s slaughter – still only rated as ”Threatened” despite its poaching and poisoning – is truly heart rending.

Will we continue to choose oil and dams, with their attendant pollution, theft and corruption, which cater to mankind’s need for instant gratification, or do we, somehow, somewhere, find resources for these endangered species which are “for ever” as peoples as diverse as Native Americans and Caspian Sea fisherman plead?

A very powerful, well written book that will give any reader food for thought, particularly if they love caviar!