What do you think?
Rate this book
In Pursuit of Giants: One Man's Global Search for the Last of the Great Fish
A veteran recreational fisherman embarks on an eye-opening adventure to track the few remaining big game fish. In Pursuit of Giants is an account of the high adventure of offshore sportfishing and a clarion call to preserve the last of the world's great fish. The story follows Rigney's global pilgrimage to encounter surviving populations of giant marlin, swordfish, and bluefin tuna hundreds of miles offshore New Zealand and Nova Scotia; in the sportfishing mecca of Cabo San Lucas; off Japan, South Australia, and the Great Barrier Reef; and in the Mediterranean. Rigney goes deep into the spiritual experience of the offshore world and introduces us to swordfish harpooners, sportfish captains, marine biologists, fish- farming pioneers, and Greenpeace activists. Rigney explores the crisis in fisheries management and considers what the loss of healthy, vibrant oceans means to us-to our health, our children's future, and our ability to experience the divine in nature. In Pursuit of Giants combines the romance of a great sport narrative with the passionate advocacy of the best environmental writing. It recalls the spiritual power of Peter Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard and will win comparisons to Mark Kurlansky's Cod .
- GenresNonfiction
352 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2012
4 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 4, 2012
In this around-the-world adventure, veteran recreational fisherman and author, Matt Rigney travels 80,00 miles to encounter what ocean advocate Ted Danson refers to as "the lions and tigers of the sea"—swordfish, marlin and bluefin tuna. Rigney accompanies commercial and sport-fishermen, activists on board Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior, charter captains, and talks to experts in order to gain a better understanding of why these important fish are in such radical decline. The prose is deft and riveting, and this natural storyteller will grip readers with his enchanting description of the wild ocean he loves so much. If you can't sail 200 miles out to sea, let him take you there in one of this summer's smartest new non-fiction titles from a debut author of great promise.
While I have limited experience on or even near the ocean, much less fish . . . certainly not the ones in this book . . . I was completely drawn in by this first person account. While many non-fcition titles leave me with a sense of having learned something important, this one also stirred my soul and inspired me to think about how I can be a better advocate for the ocean. I loved being swept away to places I would never otherwise get to visit, and I was especially enchanted by the well-drawn portraits of the people Rigney met during the five years he took to write this moving book.
If you love Peter Matthiessen, check out this debut author!
While I have limited experience on or even near the ocean, much less fish . . . certainly not the ones in this book . . . I was completely drawn in by this first person account. While many non-fcition titles leave me with a sense of having learned something important, this one also stirred my soul and inspired me to think about how I can be a better advocate for the ocean. I loved being swept away to places I would never otherwise get to visit, and I was especially enchanted by the well-drawn portraits of the people Rigney met during the five years he took to write this moving book.
If you love Peter Matthiessen, check out this debut author!
July 14, 2012
This was a really good read. The author has the unique ability to pass along tons of knowledge without sounding pedantic or long-winded. He's clearly exceptionally knowledgeable about fish, international regulations regarding fish, and the world fishing trade, but he's not showy about it all. In fact, the most noticeable quality to his writing is his excellent ability to hide a book about science and conservation under the guise of a travel story. He visits amazing places in his quest for knowledge - the Great Barrier Reef, Japan, Cabos San Lucas, New Zealand, Malta...
In the end, he completely won me over to his viewpoint that the ocean's big fish are dying out, and that we need to do something. His arguments are thoughtful and backed up by facts. He concludes the book with tons of possible solutions for not only governments, but for regular people like you or me.
Lastly, the author made it easy for me to enjoy a book on a subject I know nothing about. By the end, I was totally fascinated by the majesty of the ocean. Highest recommendations.
September 28, 2012
It's been a long time since Carl Safina's seminal book Song for the Blue Ocean: Encounters Along the World's Coasts and Beneath the Seas came out and for me this read a bit like a followup. Like Song... this book deals with the fate of the world's fisheries. This book is a bit more limited in scope however, dealing with big fish in particular.
That limitation does not hold the book back, and may even give it a boost. There are a lot of recreational fishermen out there who are excited at the thought of fighting a giant marlin on the open seas (my dad is one such - he has wrestled his share of giant fish back in the day) and this book begins and ends with the issues surrounding that sport.
The author is a true fan of fish and fishing and his love comes across clean and true, if occassionally sappy, throughout the book. It is hard not to get swept up in his sentiment and there is some real poetry in the writing. At times, this does get to be a bit much however, and I can't help but think that a little less of such flowery passages might have strengthened the book a bit.
The book has a strong message - that we are destroying fish stocks with our current fishing practices. It is a message I know well, having read plenty of scientific papers showing just that. Frankly, it is a message that needs to be said louder and more often. Rigney makes a good case for the argument, spending much of his time with fishermen who care about that very issue. These are the voices that are so rarely heard, drowned out by the complaints of those who claim that regulations are driving them out of business. This angle - the sad and frusterated stories of hard working fishermen who are watching their livelyhoods disappear in a cloud of corruption and greed, are perhapse the books greatest strength, and would have made the book worth reading even if the rest of it had been badly written.
At the same time, I would argue that the book does spend too much time pressing it's message. It seems like hardly a page goes by without Rigney restating the plight of the oceans, and while I agree with his message, the fact is that such statements do get tiresome after a while. He did such a good job showing all the evidence that the additional editorializing is often unecessary and excessive.
Nonetheless, In Pursuit of Giants is a great read and an important one for any and all concerned with the worlds oceans.
That limitation does not hold the book back, and may even give it a boost. There are a lot of recreational fishermen out there who are excited at the thought of fighting a giant marlin on the open seas (my dad is one such - he has wrestled his share of giant fish back in the day) and this book begins and ends with the issues surrounding that sport.
The author is a true fan of fish and fishing and his love comes across clean and true, if occassionally sappy, throughout the book. It is hard not to get swept up in his sentiment and there is some real poetry in the writing. At times, this does get to be a bit much however, and I can't help but think that a little less of such flowery passages might have strengthened the book a bit.
The book has a strong message - that we are destroying fish stocks with our current fishing practices. It is a message I know well, having read plenty of scientific papers showing just that. Frankly, it is a message that needs to be said louder and more often. Rigney makes a good case for the argument, spending much of his time with fishermen who care about that very issue. These are the voices that are so rarely heard, drowned out by the complaints of those who claim that regulations are driving them out of business. This angle - the sad and frusterated stories of hard working fishermen who are watching their livelyhoods disappear in a cloud of corruption and greed, are perhapse the books greatest strength, and would have made the book worth reading even if the rest of it had been badly written.
At the same time, I would argue that the book does spend too much time pressing it's message. It seems like hardly a page goes by without Rigney restating the plight of the oceans, and while I agree with his message, the fact is that such statements do get tiresome after a while. He did such a good job showing all the evidence that the additional editorializing is often unecessary and excessive.
Nonetheless, In Pursuit of Giants is a great read and an important one for any and all concerned with the worlds oceans.
September 12, 2012
I read this book on the recommendation of my daughter and was not certain at first whether this book would be my cup of tea. The author is a conservationist and in this book makes an excellent case for the protection of many species of the oceans large, top of the food chain sportfish. He takes us on a journey around the world including Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, the Grand Banks of Nova Scotia, Japan, Australia, Malta and ends in New Zealand waters. A technical subject like one of this kind where you are trying to quantify your case can often be tedious, but that is where this author differentiated himself. He captures the readers imagination with his passion for his cause and his abilty to share the excitement of the places and people that we meet enroute. The chapters on sharing time with the Greenpeace protesters near Malta and the salty captain of the New Zealand fishing vessel was truly dramatic and well told. The author ends the book with his recommended solutions, all of which I agree with. Some are easy to correct, but some will be near impossible and center around for the need for political solutions and corporate compliance. This book has a point, which it makes well, but is written in a manner that it becomes an exciting adventure to share.
October 10, 2015
A nice book really do work.
First, do get it wrong. This is not a book about sport fishing or fishing skill. It's an in-depth research on marine conservation.
Many fishermen around the world do have a clear concept about how the earth system work, at least more knowledgeable than any government. A fisherman interviewed in the book. "I am not a greenie, but to have an ocean where my grandkids can make a living from it, we need to have strong management system, to look after the environment. All of us need to take some sort of responsibility, not only for us but so that we have a resource in a hundred years, two hundred years."
Another important point is the corruption. It doesn't matter if it's an undersize catch or a bluefin tuna. When one illegal catch can pass through the system with an eye closed, it also means many other case can also happen everyday everywhere. The idea of instant money do make many our mind into short circuit. But if we don't guard our value, which passed down carefully generation by generation by our ancestors. The human race is just one step closer to doom, it's either we live together with other animals or we die together. As simply as that.
Debate do go on and on with farmed fish, and it probably will go on for a while.
First, do get it wrong. This is not a book about sport fishing or fishing skill. It's an in-depth research on marine conservation.
Many fishermen around the world do have a clear concept about how the earth system work, at least more knowledgeable than any government. A fisherman interviewed in the book. "I am not a greenie, but to have an ocean where my grandkids can make a living from it, we need to have strong management system, to look after the environment. All of us need to take some sort of responsibility, not only for us but so that we have a resource in a hundred years, two hundred years."
Another important point is the corruption. It doesn't matter if it's an undersize catch or a bluefin tuna. When one illegal catch can pass through the system with an eye closed, it also means many other case can also happen everyday everywhere. The idea of instant money do make many our mind into short circuit. But if we don't guard our value, which passed down carefully generation by generation by our ancestors. The human race is just one step closer to doom, it's either we live together with other animals or we die together. As simply as that.
Debate do go on and on with farmed fish, and it probably will go on for a while.
October 10, 2012
DO NOT EAT TUNA.
This is not only a depressing story about the rape and pillage of Earth's oceans but also a really great fishing adventure. Matt Rigney takes you through the frightening depopulation of our oceans. But along the way he sails into many of the great fishing sectors of the world to meet fishermen and fish with them sustainably. His description of the majesty of the great fish of the sea is breathtaking. He truly nails it. It is something that we never witness up close and personal. His description of the high seas and the various ships crews is fascinating.
Some might find his writing a bit on the floriferous and one might roll ones eyes. But I found the use of adjectives in his descriptions just fine. I like adjectives. It also could be his simple awe of the sea; awe of the moment. And I can tell you, you will be swept away by this story.
This is not only a depressing story about the rape and pillage of Earth's oceans but also a really great fishing adventure. Matt Rigney takes you through the frightening depopulation of our oceans. But along the way he sails into many of the great fishing sectors of the world to meet fishermen and fish with them sustainably. His description of the majesty of the great fish of the sea is breathtaking. He truly nails it. It is something that we never witness up close and personal. His description of the high seas and the various ships crews is fascinating.
Some might find his writing a bit on the floriferous and one might roll ones eyes. But I found the use of adjectives in his descriptions just fine. I like adjectives. It also could be his simple awe of the sea; awe of the moment. And I can tell you, you will be swept away by this story.
March 27, 2013
While the prose can be overly flowery at times, Rigney presents a compelling tale of how humans have failed to protect the world's most amazing big fish. By providing a more personal perspective instead of a lot of figures and statements about rebuilding and maximum sustainable yield, he really cuts to the realities of our current situation - that we have reduced once-thriving species to tiny populations, and that drastic corrective actions are now needed.
July 1, 2013
It was a decent book. The summary inside the flap of the book didn't really lend itself to being a book about conservation of fish. Despite that oversight, I'd recommend it. The key to the book is that the author wasn't opposed to fishing, just overfishing and he recommended ways to fix the problem. The author avoided being preachy while still be poignant.
October 4, 2012
A truly incredible story about a fisherman, our oceans, and the plight of the great game fish. Not only is the topic incredibly important - and timely - but the story is beautifully written. The later chapters are as wonderful a travelogue as I've ever read.
May 20, 2013
I've had the opportunity to hear the author speak in person and he is very passionate about this cause! A great read that presents an accurate picture about our apex bony fish predators. I highly recommend!
February 29, 2016
A more facts than story in the beginning made this one hard to get into but it paid off, especially in the last third.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews