Farmed Fish

by Kim Etingoff

Overview

Lots of our food comes from farms-and so do fish! Some fish are caught in the wild, but we also eat fish that are raised on farms. Find out what fish farms look like, what fish farmers do, and how fish get from the farm to you. Discover the story of your food-where it was grown, who grows it, and how it gets to your plate.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781422227459
Publisher:	Mason Crest, an Imprint of National Highlight
Publication date:	09/28/2013
Series:	Feeding the World Series
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	7.70(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

Table of Contents

1 Where Does the Fish We Eat Come From 7

2 The History of Farmed Fish 15

3 Who Raises the Farmed Fish We Eat? 23

4 How Are Farmed Fish Raised? 31

5 How Do Fish Get to Your Plate? 39

Words to Know 45

Find Out More 46

Index 47

About the Author & Picture Credits 48

Editorial Reviews

This Feeding the World series aims to educate young people on the basics of how various food products are produced. All the books start with the same basic question: “Where does your food come from?” The author then invites readers to the grocery store to think about the food they or their parents buy. Each book then goes into a brief history of each product and where it is mass produced. The reader then goes on to discover the “how” and “why” of production. The text for each book is simple, brief, and a bit lacking in research. For instance, in Meat, the author suggests that by eating meat, humans developed bigger brains and thus got smarter. The research on the material could have been more objective and led readers to ask more questions about the production and consumption of these products. The photographs and illustrations provided throughout the books adhere to the subject matter being discussed. While the majority of the books start each chapter with a photograph of what is being discussed, the Meat book has, instead, illustrations of meat products. While this is a minor quirk and most likely an editing issue, it seems this particular series should adhere to the same format throughout. The author provides very basic information. The research that may be needed for a middle school student to complete a report on such a subject would need to be found elsewhere. (Feeding the World) Reviewer: Sherrie Rampey; Ages 11 to 14.

VOYA, February 2014 (Vol. 36, No. 6) - Sherrie Rampey

The “Feeding the World” series for middle readers addresses issues about food basics: grains, dairy products, eggs, and meat. This volume deals with fish; that is, farmed fish. Etingoff rightly explains that overfishing has depleted many species and advances the idea that fish farms are the answer to producing fish for the future. Readers learn that the ancient Chinese raised carp in ponds, while the Romans farmed oysters. Today, about half the fish eaten comes from farms, mostly in China, followed by India and other Asian countries. The rest of the book explains different kinds of farms, from small cages immersed in water to huge, expensive tanks. Another chapter deals with cleaning, packaging, and shipping farmed fish to markets. Small farmers may bring their fish to local supermarkets; but if the fish travel long distances, they are transported in giant refrigerated trucks—it is essential to keep fish icy cold once they have been killed. Etingoff urges youngsters to ask about the origins of fish they order and to check package information when their families buy. To her credit, she mentions that to be safe, fish farms use a tremendous volume of clean water—disposing of fishy waste is necessary to avoid fish becoming diseased or nearby waters being contaminated by the “poop;” but cleaning systems are expensive. Large color photos show tidy farms and enticing fish dishes like sushi or salmon steaks. Only the tiniest bit of negative information is offered on two pages dominated by a large illustration. Though the author asks readers if they think “farmed fish is a good idea,” to answer that question kids will need much more information about pollution, contamination of wild fish with antibiotics, feeding salmon on wild fish, and the tremendous drain on resources needed to produce farmed fish safely. Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft; Ages 9 to 12.

Children's Literature - Barbara L. Talcroft

11/01/2013
Gr 2–4—Colorfully and carefully designed, these slim volumes offer comprehensive introductions to food production. Readers will gain a thorough understanding of where their food comes from and everything that happens to it before it reaches the dinner table. The introductory first chapters are the weakest parts of the books, but the writing seems more precise in subsequent sections. Factual material is punctuated with amusing anecdotes, such as a theory of how cheese was discovered: a man galloped on a horse with a bag of milk on a hot day and voila: cheese. The mixture of historical and contemporary photos complements the text. Sidebars are lengthy but not cumbersome, and the glossaries are adequate. There are no informative graphics or diagrams, which would have been appropriate for this subject. Nevertheless, these books promote discussion, critical thinking, and further research. Their main strength is their unbiased, evenhanded approach to divisive subjects such as vegetarianism and organic produce.

School Library Journal