Giant Bluefin

by Douglas Whynott

Overview

This elegantly written and compelling work portrays the way the Japanese demand for giant bluefin tuna has altered the lives of Cape Cod fishermen.

In telling the story of one man's passionate hunt for giant bluefin, Douglas Whynott's Giant Bluefin details the competition and camaraderie in the bluefin fishery, the pressures of a conservationist movement seeking to limit the bluefin harvest, and the struggle of the fisherman himself against "the wild horses of [the] fish species."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466805972
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	04/16/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	257
File size:	745 KB

About the Author

Douglas Whynott is the author of Following the Bloom, Giant Bluefin, and A Unit of Water, A Unit of Time. He lives near Hanover, New Hampshire, and directs the M.F.A. writing program at Emerson College in Boston.

Editorial Reviews

Bluefin tuna are the largest finfish in the ocean and the fishermen who harpoon them, one at a time, lead a traditional, athletic, even heroic life, according to Whynott. The author spent two seasons in the company of a 47 year-old Cape Cod harpooner and tells the story of his "passionate hunt for his noble and elusive prey," as well as the struggle between the fishermen and conservationists. No scholarly trappings. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

Whynott's superb report on the bluefin harpoon fishery takes readers to the old whaling grounds off Cape Cod and shows that the adventure and controversy associated with that extinct American industry survive today, on boats with names like Scratcher, Back Off, and Tenacious.” —The New Yorker

“Whynott portrays these "true sons of the whalers of old" with sympathy and understanding in a book filled with depth and drama.” —Andrea Barrett, Outside

From the Publisher