The Cod Hunters

by John Goodlad, John Cumming (Illustrator)

John Goodlad has always been interested in the history of the Shetland fishing industry and his story of the Faroe smacks is a personal and very readable account of the incredible story of the Shetlanders who fished for cod around Faroe, Rockall, Iceland and Greenland. This is no dry history of boats and fish – it is a story about ordinary people who did extraordinary things. This is however much more than a book about Shetland and Shetlanders. The geographical scope is extensive; from the remote fjords of west Greenland to the elegant dining tables of nineteenth century London, from the fishing banks off Faroe to the best restaurants in the Basque country, from the taverns of Torshavn to the prison cells of Lerwick. The stories of several very interesting people are told. What do a retired railway worker in New York, an embittered Fishery Officer in Lerwick, a bankrupt banker, the daughter of the famous explorer David Livingston and a Faroese Prime Minister have in common? They were all involved in some way in the story of the Shetland cod hunters.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

183 pages, Paperback

First published May 9, 2018

About the author

John Goodlad is a Shetlander who works in the seafood industry. He was the voice of the Shetland fishing industry as CEO of the Shetland Fishermen's Association for many years before becoming a fish farmer. He now advises several national and international seafood organisations and companies. His previous book, The Cod Hunters, was shortlisted for the Maritime Foundation’s Mountbatten Award for Best Maritime Book in 2020.

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
found this an interesting read as we lived in two outport communities in Newfoundland for four years which also overfished its waters and experienced the cod fisheries collapse.
this book is PhD work but it was a good read. learned a bit of history too. also, love learning more about the shetland islands.

[Lois Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story about the history of cod fishing in the Shetland Islands.