Mark Kurlansky, renowned author of the award-winning bestseller Cod, has just authored a forthcoming family book called WORLD WITHOUT FISH which is a children’s book that includes — biology, economics, evolution, politics, climate, history, culture, food and nutrition — in a manner that is instantly understandable and appealing to kids. Below is the interview about his new book with questions asked from his 10-year-old daughter and fishing companion, Talia:
What Inspired you to do the book and what made you decide to make it a young adult book? I have been thinking about these issues for 45 years since my first job as a commercial fishermen. I have often written about them, especially in Cod and The Last Fish Tale. But it is an enormously complicated issue and one that needs explaining. I find that kids are particularly interested in it and in environmental issues in general. They understand that we are leaving them a mess and are not particularly happy about it. So I decided to write a book for the whole family that would give an understanding of the problem of what is and isn’t being done about it and what can be done by us as individuals and as families. I think that it is a writer’s job to work toward a more enlightened society and that begins by feeding the hungry minds of children and then helping families to find their direction. A society of enlightened families is a healthy society.
How did you decide to weave in a graphic novel and how did you decide the story and characters? I am a great believer in storytelling and in a sense all of my text is connected circles of storytelling so that a book is constructed a bit like an onion.. But a graphic novel was an opportunity for a more pure form of storytelling. It is about a father teaching his daughter as she confronts the realities of the world and the daughter than teaching her daughter. So on one level it is about you and me except that I promoted myself to distinguished marine biologist, which, of course, I am not. On another level it is about parents and children, which is what all environmental issues are about. The central issue is what kind of planet do we pass on to our children.
Do you really believe that if we work hard enough even us kids can make a difference? Kids can make an enormous difference if they proceed with gentle and respectful determination. They can teach their parents, and families are the building blocks of society. But also they are the inheritors of the world and will not only have its enormous problems but its enormous responsibilities. Technology is changing the world a at faster pace than has ever happened before and your generation by controlling and directing that change can have a greater impact than any generation in history. We could feel sorry for all the problems you are getting but also envious of the exciting opportunities. You begin this process of becoming a responsible and significant force for change as a child. It begins by learning.
What do you believe is the most effective thing that we all can do? Talk. Of course first you have to study and learn so that you know what you are talking about. Then talk with your family, with your friends and neighbors, get your parents talking with the store keepers, asking about the fish they buy and why everything has to come wrapped in plastic. Is your yellow school bus painted with chromium? Isn’t there a safer paint? Do we have to be using so much energy? Should we shut off lights, walk instead of riding. Everybody needs to be talking about these things.
What are the fish that we should eat? There are two considerations.—your health and the health of the planet. For your health you should eat low on the food chain. Fish is extremely healthy but certain pollutants such as heavy metals concentrate as they go up the food chain. So large fish are less healthy than small ones. Also you should eat fish from sustainable fisheries, fishermen who are careful to preserve the species they fish. Line caught is preferable to other kinds of net fishing although smaller fish are caught with different types of netting that may not be harmful. Alaskan salmon are well managed and delicious. California sardines are also well-managed and being fairly low on the food chain and rich in oils extremely healthy.
Is their anything that is scarily bad to buy and eat? Blue fin tuna are endangered, hard to regulate because they migrate all over the world and so high on the food chain that they are probably bad for your health. Avoid eating fish from chain restaurants and cheap frozen fish.. They need to get low priced fish and this usually leads to abusive fishing. Beware of overfishing inexpensive pacific pollack.
Do you recommend anything? Such as companies to buy from etc. There are organizations of fishermen specializing in sustainable techniques. Unfortunately many do not create brand names so they are hard to identify. Thos who do are often more expensive but they are worth it both for their good fishing practices and the high quality of their fish. Two examples are Chatham cod from Massachusetts and Copper River Salmon from Alaska.
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Mark Kurlansky is a former commercial fisherman and New York Times bestselling author of Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World, Salt: A World History, The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell, and 16 other books. He’s won numerous awards, including the James A. Beard Award, Glenfiddich Award for food writing, ALA Notable Book Award, The New York Public Library Best Books of the Year Award, Los Angeles Times Science Writing Award, Dayton Literary Peace Prize. He has illustrated many of his books himself. Kurlansky lives with his wife and daughter in New York City and Gloucester, Massachusetts. His website is http://www.markkurlansky.com/
Talia Kurlansky is 10 years old and working her way through the fifth grade. An adept Editorial Advisor, she vetted each chapter of WORLD WITHOUT FISH, helping her dad (bestselling author Mark Kurlansky) ensure that there were no boring parts and that the book would be equally enjoyable to children and adults.
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