Popularity of shrimp may result in adverse effects for the industry and the environment

Calling all nature and seafood buffs—the story of shrimp is as delicious as the creatures themselves. From the adoration of Forrest Gump to the real-life surge in shrimp consumption over the last 25 years, the popularity of the little creature is undeniable, and now there’s a book that dives into its historic, humanistic, and heart-warming stories.

In Shrimp: The Endless Quest for Pink Gold (FT Press Science, ISBN-13: 9780137009725, $24.99, hardcover, 272 pages, January 2010), renowned nature writers Jack Rudloe and Anne Rudloe reveal a hidden history that has spanned millennia, the book uncovers the stories and the heritage behind centuries of shrimping all around the world.

The all time high in demand is creating problems, however. Once an expensive dish, shrimp has become easily accessible to almost all consumers, but the result may be adversely impacting the sea.

“Because of aquaculture, and modern shrimp trawlers people are eating more shrimp than ever,” state the Rudloes. “That is causing huge changes for the marine environment, endangered species, and the ocean’s water quality, potentially changing the lives of thousands of people around the world who make their living on shrimp.”

With the world’s 4,000 species of shrimp and its ever increasing popularity, there’s plenty to discover. Through the stories within Shrimp, you’ll:

• Meet people who love to eat it, the fishermen who roam the seas catching them, and the aquaculturists who raise them in ponds.
• Gain powerful new insights into a conflict that’s as old as humanity itself: the conflict between hunter-gatherers and farmers.
• Discover the vastness and diversity of both nature and humanity, as you travel from abandoned Mayan tombs to the California Gold Rush; from the heart of Cajun country to the English Channel.

So come aboard ragged old boats and spy on high-tech tanks; learn things you never imagined about microbiology and real estate, about economics and ecosystems. And, as you meet the people around the world who’ve caught, sold, cooked, and loved shrimp, you’ll understand the dilemmas and challenges that lie ahead for the industry.

Check out excerpts from the book online at www.ftpress.com and http://www.ftpress.com/store/product.aspx?isbn=0137009720

If you’d like a copy of Shrimp: The Endless Quest for Pink Gold, please use the form here.

About the Authors

Jack Rudloe (Panacea, FL), a leading nature writer, has spent 40 years studying and protecting marine life. His books include The Sea Brings Forth and The Erotic Ocean. He has led expeditions to capture specimens for the New York Aquarium, and collected on behalf of Harvard and the American Museum of Natural History. Anne Rudloe, Ph.D. teaches marine biology at Florida State, and has written for National Geographic and Smithsonian. Her books include Butterflies on a Sea Wind and Priceless Florida. Together, they run the award-winning Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory.

About FT Press Science

The life sciences revolution is transforming our world as profoundly as the industrial and information revolutions did in the last two centuries. FT Press Science is the newest imprint from Pearson, and is committed to publishing scientific and health related books that discuss issues sometimes deemed controversial, ranging from genetics to global warming. FT Press Science (www.ftpressscience.com) captures the excitement and promise of the new life sciences, bringing breakthrough knowledge to every professional and interested citizen. We publish tomorrow’s indispensable work in genetics, evolution, neuroscience, medicine, biotech, environmental science, and emerging scientific fields. We hope to help you make sense of the future, so you can live it, profit from it, and lead it.

About Pearson

The global leader in educational and professional publishing, Pearson is home to such respected brands as FT Press (www.ftpress.com), Wharton School Publishing, Addison-Wesley Professional, Cisco Press, Exam Cram, IBM Press, Prentice Hall Professional, Que, and Sams Publishing and Peachpit Press, which have as their online publishing arm, InformIT (www.informit.com) -The Trusted Technology Learning Source. Pearson is also co-founder, with O'Reilly Media Inc., of Safari Books Online (http://safari.informit.com), the premier on-demand technology content library providing thousands of expert reference materials through a single point of contact, including expert technology, creative and design, industry and management resources in video, audio and written formats. Pearson Education is part of Pearson (NYSE: PSO), the international media company. Pearson's other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group.

Shrimp: The Endless Quest for Pink Gold

Jack Rudloe and Anne Rudloe

FT Press Science

January 2010

$24.99

Hardcover

272 pages

ISBN: 9780137009725

Review by True/Slant here: Review of Shrimp