Sunlit Swimmers: The Sardine’s Journey Beyond the Horizon

Sardines are currently trending. Literally. They have made it to Vogue magazine. They’re tasty (subjectively), beneficial for health, and sustainable . . . right?

Recently, a listener of Outside/In reached out to the program for clarification on that very topic.

“I’ve always felt that they’re a more eco-friendly fish, possibly because they sit low on the food chain. But I’m coming to understand that I have little idea of what it actually involves to fish for sardines,” Jeannie informed us.

The Outside/In team convened to delve deeper than the cheerful graphics on the fish cans. Is there bycatch involved? What are the emissions like? Are sardines excessively fished? If we’re concerned about the ocean’s well-being, can we continue to consume sardines?

Featuring Jeannie Bartlett, Malin Pinsky, and Zach Koehn.

To share your thoughts and queries with Outside/In, call the show’s hotline and leave us a message. The number is 1-844-GO-OTTER. No inquiry is too serious or too trivial.

Transcript available here.

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ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

If you are keen on locating sustainable fisheries, our references suggested checking out Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch and the Marine Stewardship Council.

Sardines (more precisely, Fishwife) featured in Vogue.

Why are tinned fishes available in every boutique, and what makes all those shops feel strikingly similar? For Grub Street, Emily Sundberg wrote about the online marketplace surrounding the “shoppy shop.”

The documentary detailing the remarkable South African sardine run is “The Ocean’s Greatest Feast” on PBS.

Zach Koehn’s dissertation, “The role of seafood in sustainable diets.”

Malin Pinsky’s research indicated that small pelagic species (including sardines, anchovies, and herring) are equally at risk of population decline as larger, slower-growing fish like tuna.

Dive into the aesthetics of historical Portuguese fish tins (Hyperallergic).

An animated reading of The Mousehole Cat

The final sardine cannery in the United States shut down in 2010. However, you can explore this collection of oral histories from former workers in Maine factories (many of whom were women and children).

CREDITS

Outside/In’s host is Nate Hegyi.

Reported, developed, and mixed by Justine Paradis, with assistance from Kate Dario.

Edited by Rebecca Lavoie, with assistance from Taylor Quimby.

Our Executive Producer is Taylor Quimby.

Our team also comprises Felix Poon and Marina Henke.

NHPR’s Director of Podcasts is Rebecca Lavoie.

Special acknowledgment to Hugh French.

Music featured in this episode was contributed by Mia Pfirrman, Major Tweaks, David Celeste, Blue Topaz, Blue Dot Sessions, Revel Day, Lofive, and Spiegelstadt.

Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio.