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Read our privacy notice . From the Pacific Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, approximately 71 per cent of the earth’s surface is water-covered. For as long as human beings have roamed the planet, we’ve looked to rivers, lakes, oceans and seas for guidance and sustenance.
The earth’s watery depths are imposing, often invoking fear within those who lack the sailor’s gene. There’s a condition known as thalassophobia, which is a persistent and intense fear of deep bodies of water and what may lurk beneath the surface. On the flip(per) side, nautical enthusiasts choose to view the darkened ocean floor as an aquatic paradise which is home to creatures both great and small, fearsome and harmless, delicious and poisonous.
The harvesting and preparation of seafood dates back millennia, with archaeological evidence from the Palaeolithic era proving its historical consumption. There’s also evidence of homo sapiens’ harmony with the sea in ancient Roman mosaics depicting fishermen, as well as Egyptian hieroglyphs featuring fresh fish from the Nile. It’s an ancient harmony tempered with terror and respect, reflected through the existence of historical Gods of the Sea; the Greek Poseidon, the Roman Nept.