We can see diplomats negotiating in Madrid and Tokyo or listen in on conversations with retired fishermen in Maine. The book is divided into thirds, each part devoted to one of the three regions. Beginning in the Gulf of Maine, we learn first about the strange marriage of modern technology with the fishing industry. For the Japanese market, the bluefin is worth fantastic money. Throughout the three regional vignettes, the influence of voracious global markets is shown to work against sustainable fish populations.
Governmental failures abound.
The US had refused the Audubon Society's plea for such a listing, thus Audubon had turned to Sweden. The bluefin was not listed. In the Pacific Northwest, the plot complications that have rendered salmon either extinct, threatened, or endangered are more complex. Here the story extends beyond the fishing industry to include virtually every part of the Pacific Northwest economy. A memorandum of understanding with The Nature Conservancy has been cancelled, and the new government is pursuing a tenfold increase in the number of tourists who come to Palau every year, with all the attendant hotel rooms, restaurants, airport strips, roads, and sewage treatment.