FEATURED EVENT
LECTURE | CHEFS TO THE RESCUE!
Once anchored by a deep reverence for the ocean, Japanese cuisine helped ignite a global appetite for seafood,
with sushi as its most iconic ambassador. And yet, even as the world consumes more fish than ever, Japan is
drifting away from the sea.
The nation’s fishing industry is in sharp decline, and the taste for seafood is ebbing fast. In kitchens
across the country, chefs are confronting this quiet crisis. For many, the fading love for the ocean and
its gifts is not just a culinary concern; it’s a cultural reckoning.
This talk traces the cultural and environmental forces that have reshaped Japanese gastronomy over the past
two decades—and tells the stories of chefs and seafood advocates who have come together to fight the current
and revive what is being lost.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Dr. C. Anne Claus
Associate Professor
American University
Dr. C. Anne Claus is Associate Professor of Anthropology at American University
in Washington, D.C. She earned a Ph.D. from Yale University in anthropology and environmental studies and previously
worked as a cook and server in Japanese restaurants in Japan. Her research is supported by Fulbright, Mellon Foundation, National
Science Foundation, and Wenner-Gren Foundation. Claus has published numerous articles, book chapters, and a book
(Drawing the Sea Near: Satoumi and Coral Reef Conservation in Okinawa) about Japan’s culture and environment.
This talk presents research for her forthcoming book about sustainable seafood and Japanese cooking culture.
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