Their Fathers' Work: Casting Nets with the World's Fishermen

Their Fathers' Work takes us from Bristol Bay, Alaska, to Chile, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, the Grand Bank, and Newfoundland. We meet prosperous fishermen and others who barely subsist; sometimes the two work within sight of one another. Change is a constant: traditional fisheries modernized within living memory; village grounds overwhelmed by industrial fishing; stocks threatened by overfishing or pollution; political pressures; and changes in what the world will permit fishermen to catch. Beneath the change, however, fishing remains the same. Whatever the language or circumstances, there is still the stalk, the wait, the bitter disappointment of a busted trip, the sleepless work fueled by elation when the nets come back full.