The Philosopher Fish: Sturgeon, Caviar, and the Geography of Desire Paperback – February 14, 2006

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, 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!

A well written very interesting book on a very interesting subject

The Philosopher Fish is a well-written and entertaining look at sturgeon, sturgeon conservation and caviar. Gets a little too much into legal battles across borders and illegal caviar traffic, but still worth a read. I would give it 5 stars if it focused on the fish a little more.

There is an hilarious factual error running through this book that has the celebrated cook, food and wine writer, the late Richard Olney, heading up the kitchen at Chez Panisse in the 70s! Did the author mean to say Jeremiah Tower?

In THE PHILOSOPHER FISH, Richard Adams Carey has written an epic chronicle of the sturgeon--a fish species rapidly approaching extinction wherever it swims--as well as of its precious product, caviar. Selling for as much as one hundred dollars an ounce, caviar has become an icon of status and success, and as such, it has led to the inevitable decline of that curious and prehistoric fish: the sturgeon.Carey exams both the fish as a species as well as the industry that seeks to exploit it. The fascinating and ancient phylogeny of the sturgeon notwithstanding, this fish is clearly in trouble. In the last two decades, sturgeon populations have shrunk to less than one third of what they were. Much of U.S. trade in caviar, as elsewhere, is illegal, but up until now, those who are working to save the sturgeon are largely ineffective. As in the drug trade, the potential rewards to be reaped by the caviar industry have led to energetic smuggling operations, the mislabeling of sturgeon species on caviar tins, as well as other shenanigans. Among the many storylines covered in THE PHILOSOPHER FISH, Carey follows the efforts of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to stymie the illegal trade in caviar, though as a result of 9/11, their resources have largely been diverted elsewhere.Carey also follows several of the sturgeons' champions in this world as they seek to improve the fish's plight. There is some slight hope in the efforts of those that hatchery-spawn sturgeon species for aquacultural purposes and possibly for future restocking projects. In his search for every sturgeon-related experience he could find, Carey even ice-fishes for sturgeon in Lake Winnebago, one of the few places in the world where this can be done (strict quotas make the season as short as only 2 days a year), but he clearly feels conflicted about it (he didn't catch anything). He drinks vodka along the shores of the Volga River as he observes the trade, both legal and illegal, of the world's most famous caviar locales.THE PHILOSOPHER FISH takes the reader around the world, from Sacramento to the shores of the Caspian Sea. Many of the stories involve intrigue and espionage of the highest order. Others are humorous or bitter-sweet. Still others offer hope. All are intensely interesting. I enjoy reading books that tell me more than I ever wanted to know about one circumscribed subject. THE PHILOSOPHER FISH is such a book, and I give it my highest recommendation.Jeremy W. Forstadt

Mr. Carey paints an interesting and informative portrait of the rich, sordid world of caviar production and of the sturgeon itself.You don't have to be a lover of caviar to enjoy this book, but if you are it makes you more appreciative of the noble egg. I recommend the book highly and suggest Robbing the Bees as an additional title to check into if you like this one!

I expected it to be a rather dry account, but the intro reels you in to the struggle of commercial fishing and regulation from a very personal perspective. Electric!