Hooked: Pirates, Poaching, and the Perfect Fish

About this book

&i;Hooked&o; is a story about the poaching of the Patagonian toothfish (known to Americans as "Chilean Sea Bass") and is built around the pursuit of the illegal fishing vessel Viarsa by an Australian patrol boat, Southern Supporter, in one of the longest pursuits in maritime history.

Author G. Bruce Knecht chronicles how an obscure fish merchant in California "discovered" and renamed the fish, kicking off a worldwide craze for a fish no one had ever heard of--and everyone had to have. And with demand exploding, pirates were only too happy to satisfy our taste for Chilean Sea Bass.

Knecht--whose previous book The Proving Ground was hailed by Walter Cronkite as "a sailing masterpiece . . . a tale more thrilling than fiction" - captivates readers by deftly shifting among the story's nail-biting elements: the perilous chase at sea through frenzied winds, punishing waves, and an obstacle course of icebergs; the high-stakes environmental battle and courtroom drama; and the competitive battle among the world's restaurants to serve the perfect, flaky, white-fleshed fish.

From the world's most treacherous waters to its most fabulous kitchens, Hooked is at once a thrilling tale and a revelatory popular history that will appeal to a diverse group of readers. Think The Hungry Ocean meets Kitchen Confidential.

Customer Reviews