At first thought, the Food Network’s wacky wizard of food, Alton Brown, might seem an unlikely choice to be a host at this past weekend’s “Cooking For Solutions” event at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

But Brown, an avid scuba diver and father of an 8-year-old daughter, knows full well the challenges we face now and in the future in sustaining the ecosystems of our oceans. At the “Cooking For Solutions” event, which gathered chefs, scientists, and food producers to examine ways to preserve the health of the planet, Brown summed up his philosophy as only he can.

When it comes to seafood, he said, “My motto comes from the side of the old Los Angeles police cars: Serve and Protect.”

I chatted with the energetic, surprisingly frank 46-year-old megastar, whose “Good Eats” show, which he directs and writes most of the scripts for, debuted on the Food Network in 1999. A graduate of both the University of Georgia and the New England Culinary Institute, he now lives in Marietta, Ga. with his wife, DeAnna, and daughter, Zoey. Brown also is the commentator for “Iron Chef America,” host of the “Next Iron Chef,” and star of “Feasting on Asphalt.”  Additionally, he has his own production company, Be Square Production.

He wasn’t always a natural at science. Nor was he always a foodie. In fact, previously he was a cinematographer and video director. You can see his work in R.E.M.’s “The One I Love” video.

Q: So science wasn’t something you were always passionate about?

A: No, not at all. I flunked chemistry twice in high school, mostly because it didn’t matter. It was all numbers and formulas, and ‘let’s cut up a rat.’

Q: So how did you come up with the concept for “Good Eats,” which is all about explaining the science of cooking?

A: I wanted to give people a practicality they could build on. In culinary school, I realized I wasn’t a very good cook. To figure out how to do it better, I realized science was the answer.

Q: When did sustainability become so important to you?

A: When I became a father. I began to relive my life through my daughter when I was that same age of 8 years old. I became so aware that so much had changed. We no longer place much value on our food; we value cheapness.

My Mom grew up very poor. They grew their own food, they had their own chickens. We’ve made it now so that poor people can’t grow food so easily, and they can’t keep chickens. There are all these regulations. We’ve made it so that with poverty in America, there’s no self-respect.

Q: How else did becoming a father change your viewpoints?

A: I realized it was a world now where we might not have fish to eat in 50 years. And I think there are morons on both sides of the issue. You have environmentalists thinking that all the problems are made by us and have to be fixed by us. And then you have all the people who believe there is no global warming. Both poles are morons. I believe many of the changes we’re seeing is because of man, but also it’s the seas doing it naturally. We can make things better, but we’re not the predominant force.

Q: What are you teaching your daughter?

A: I want to teach her how to cook. When she turned 5, I gave her a paring knife and taught her how to use it. I told my wife, ‘There’s gonna be blood,’ and there will be. But I want her to learn how to take care of herself.

Recently, my daughter made a picnic lunch for the three of us. She did it all by herself, and she packed it all up. She was so proud of what she had done.

Q: What do you like to cook?

A: My favorite thing is eggs. They never let me down. They’re a miracle. There’s nothing better than a fried egg sandwich with mayo.

Q: When you started in 1999, did you ever think the Food Network would grow into such a phenomenon?

A: I thought it would become big. I believed that as the Internet got bigger, our society would change. We would be held together not by geography, but by what makes us special. Food is the great commonality. We are not unifed by politics or religion. But nobody will tell you food is bad.

Q: Given its huge audience and power now, do you think the Food Network should be doing more to teach people about the issues of sustainability?

A: Yes. It is our responsibility to cover everything that has to do with food. I’m trying to develop a current events web-based show about food. I’m hoping it’ll be with the Food Network. I believe the Food Network should not be a reality show, but a place to empower people and change the world.