The Mortal Sea: Fishing the Atlantic in the Age of Sail

Bolster, an associate professor at the University of New Hampshire where he teaches early American history, demonstrates detailed research of the New England fishing industry from the 16th century to the early 20th century, including excerpts from centuries-old reports, from “Renaissance seafarers” and countless history texts to newspaper accounts and fishery management publications and data. But he weaves the story of the common fishermen—those who relied on the ocean to survive and today’s fishermen who “are descendants of the oldest continually operated business enterprise in the New World”—into his tale to create a story that is personal as well as informative. This varied collection of information makes for an exhaustive and scholarly analysis of marine history and demonstrates that problems of environmental stress and overfishing have confronted humans since they arrived in these waters and continue to this day. By demonstrating the “catastrophic changes in the sea” over the past 400-plus years, Bolster has created a work that is not only a comprehensive chronicling of North Atlantic fishing but also a harrowing cautionary tale of human consumption and a challenge to those who have the final chance to restore “our exhausted seas.” (Oct.)