“The Fish That Changed the World”
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Title: Cod
Author: Mark Kurlansky
Category: Nature, Climate & Environment
Did you know a single fish species shaped empires, fueled revolutions, and nearly fed the world to extinction? Sam and Sophie sit with that question, because Mark Kurlansky's biography of cod is also a history of global trade, slavery, and overfishing.
They walk through how cod evolved in the North Atlantic and how Basques discovered the Grand Banks in the 11th century, turning cod into a portable protein via salting. The episode traces cod's role in Catholic fasting, the slave trade, the American Revolution, and New England's prosperity, then shows how industrial fishing collapsed Newfoundland's stocks by 92% and led to a 1992 moratorium that destroyed thousands of livelihoods.
If you've never connected your dinner plate to world events, this episode will change how you think about a simple fish. The takeaway: natural resources aren't infinite, and we're repeating the same mistakes with tuna and salmon.
Cod by Mark Kurlansky. If you want the full written summary, the whole library is on 7minutebooks.com/app — over 6,000+ fiction and nonfiction titles you can read or listen to in any language, plus infographics. Unlimited access from $2.99 a month, $9.99 a year, or $19.99 lifetime.
Chapters
00:00A Fish That Changed History01:01Basques, Catholics, and Cod Demand02:03Slavery, Revolution, and New England02:44Industrial Fishing and Collapse03:49Takeaway and App Pitch