Product Description

The term fisherwoman does not exactly roll trippingly off the tongue, and Linda Greenlaw, the world's only female swordfish boat captain, isn't flattered when people insist on calling her one. "I am a woman. I am a fisherman... I am not a fisherwoman, fisherlady, or fishergirl. If anything else, I am a thirty-seven-year-old tomboy. It's a word I have never outgrown." Greenlaw also happens to be one of the most successful fishermen in the Grand Banks commercial fleet, though until the publication of Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm, "nobody cared." Greenlaw's boat, the Hannah Boden, was the sister ship to the doomed Andrea Gail, which disappeared in the mother of all storms in 1991 and became the focus of Junger's book. The Hungry Ocean, Greenlaw's account of a monthlong swordfishing trip over 1,000 nautical miles out to sea, tells the story of what happens when things go right--proving, in the process, that every successful voyage is a study in narrowly averted disaster.There is the weather, the constant danger of mechanical failure, the perils of controlling five sleep-, women-, and booze-deprived young fishermen in close quarters, not to mention the threat of a bad fishing run: "If we don't catch fish, we don't get paid, period. In short, there is no labor union." Greenlaw's straightforward, uncluttered prose underscores the qualities that make her a good captain, regardless of gender: fairness, physical and mental endurance, obsessive attention to detail. But, ultimately, Greenlaw proves that the love of fishing--in all of its grueling, isolating, suspenseful glory--is a matter of the heart and blood, not the mind. "I knew that the ocean had stories to tell me, all I needed to do was listen." --Svenja Soldovieri

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #388315 in Books
• Published on: 1999-05-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

From Amazon.com
The term fisherwoman does not exactly roll trippingly off the tongue, and Linda Greenlaw, the world's only female swordfish boat captain, isn't flattered when people insist on calling her one. "I am a woman. I am a fisherman... I am not a fisherwoman, fisherlady, or fishergirl. If anything else, I am a thirty-seven-year-old tomboy. It's a word I have never outgrown." Greenlaw also happens to be one of the most successful fishermen in the Grand Banks commercial fleet, though until the publication of Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm, "nobody cared." Greenlaw's boat, the Hannah Boden, was the sister ship to the doomed Andrea Gail, which disappeared in the mother of all storms in 1991 and became the focus of Junger's book. The Hungry Ocean, Greenlaw's account of a monthlong swordfishing trip over 1,000 nautical miles out to sea, tells the story of what happens when things go right--proving, in the process, that every successful voyage is a study in narrowly averted disaster.

There is the weather, the constant danger of mechanical failure, the perils of controlling five sleep-, women-, and booze-deprived young fishermen in close quarters, not to mention the threat of a bad fishing run: "If we don't catch fish, we don't get paid, period. In short, there is no labor union." Greenlaw's straightforward, uncluttered prose underscores the qualities that make her a good captain, regardless of gender: fairness, physical and mental endurance, obsessive attention to detail. But, ultimately, Greenlaw proves that the love of fishing--in all of its grueling, isolating, suspenseful glory--is a matter of the heart and blood, not the mind. "I knew that the ocean had stories to tell me, all I needed to do was listen." --Svenja Soldovieri

From Publishers Weekly
She's smart, hard-working and good at what she does, though sometimes she wishes she had a life. Greenlaw is captain of the Hannah Boden, sister ship to the Andrea Gail, the sword-fishing boat whose disappearance was described with agonizing verisimilitude in Sebastian Junger's bestseller, The Perfect Storm. Greenlaw tells a comparatively quotidian tale, "the true story of a real, and typical, sword-fishing trip, from leaving the dock to returning." Not trying to compete with Junger's operatic tale of death on the high seas, Greenlaw deals with stormy personalities rather than with bad weather. She rounds out the story with her gimlet-eyed description of a captain's biggest headache after nature itself: the crew. Racism, drug use, baffling illnesses: these are all elements of a 30-day journey for six people crammed aboard a 100-ft. boat designed less for human comfort than to carry the 50,000 pounds or more of fish it will eventually take on. But Greenlaw picks her sailors carefully and, through her own example, inspires a fierce loyalty among the menAsuch as the one who extracted his own abscessed tooth rather than return to shore ("In my experience," she notes, "very few men are willing to pull their own teeth"). Greenlaw's narrative should foster an abiding respect in anyone who has tossed a swordfish steak on the grill, and it is certain to induce jaw-dropping admiration among personnel managers everywhere. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Greenlaw is the female skipper of a commercial swordfishing boat and was a primary source of technical detail for Sebastian Junger's best-selling The Perfect Storm (LJ 5/15/97). The Hungry Ocean details a 30-day swordfishing trip from Gloucester to the Grand Banks. Greenlaw describes her boat, equipment, and various electronic gear, including the "temperature bird" that is lowered to measure the temperature at the fishing depth, as well as her technique for finding just the right area to fish. The process of laying out the 40-mile longline, with radio beacons at intervals so that the expensive gear and the catch can be hauled aboard, is also discussed in great detail. Greenlaw also tells of life aboard for her crew, including personality conflicts that invariably subside when the tired and busy crew is occupied with the grueling haul-back of the catch. After all their hard work, there is the gut-wrenching suspense of not knowing what the market price of the catch will be. An exciting and detailed look inside the commercial fishing industry, sure to be popular in public libraries.AJohn Kenny, San Francisco P.L.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

A very good read about something most of us will never do
This book isn't life-changing or even inspirational--in a good way. I was hesitant initially because I thought the book might work a 'girl-power' angle as Greenlaw is one of, if not the only, female swordfish captains in the world. Instead, it does a fantastic job of describing a world most of us will never know--the inner workings of a fisherman's (woman's) life: the politics involved in pleasing a demanding boat owner and restless crew, the tedious waiting game where instincts and electronics seek the elusive fish many days away from shore, and the excitment of the non-stop work when the fishing is good. It even gives an account of the finances involved including a breakdown of the market price of fish and how it affects everyone's pay. I had no idea of the immense costs each fishing trip takes in equipment, food, and gas. It is a great look at the day-to-day life. Where it falls short is addressing some grander issues such as the environment and the history and future of fishing. Greenlaw does have a few sentences sprinkled throughout and it's clear that from her viewpoint that the environment hoopla about overfishing is overblown and while these statements do make the reader long for more knowledge on the topic, I guess the authenticity of the book is that we get the raw one-sided opinion of a true fisherman (woman) and not some policy wonk. A very good read.

Fantastic!
I actually could not put this book down--I read it in one day. It provides a vicarious experience of a truly unique profession. Totally engrossing.

Well written description of longline fishing and leadership
Longline fishing remains a controversial subject. The author touches on slightly the issue of over fishing but simply states that the USA has the best managed fishing regulations in the world and it's all those pesky foreigners that cause the problems. The issue of longline fishing itself and the havoc it causes to sea life not associated with the catch is not addressed in the book. Ms Greenlaw, however gives a very well written and detailed and fascinating exposition of the organisation, equipment, and techniques that go into a single voyage which she peppers with individual anecdotes of incidents at sea. But, it is also an exemplary study of leadership and those who fly our planes, drive our buses and trucks, steer our ferries, or manage work sites of any kind might read this book and see how they measure up. As my idea of a sea adventure is to catch the Manly Ferry from Manly to Circular Quay, across Sydney Harbour Australia, THE HUNGRY OCEAN also gives a real feel of the beauty and power of that beast.