cover image THE SEA'S BITTER HARVEST: Thirteen Deadly Days on the North Atlantic

THE SEA'S BITTER HARVEST: Thirteen Deadly Days on the North Atlantic

Douglas A. Campbell, . . Carroll & Graf, $25 (288pp) ISBN 978-0-7867-0970-0

This gripping narrative elaborates Campbell's eight-part Philadelphia Inquirer series on a disastrous 13-day period in January 1999 when four commercial clam boats sank while fishing in the Atlantic Ocean. Campbell was able to get close to many surviving fisherman and their families, and their stories, plus Campbell's own extensive research on the clam fishing industry, make for a moving, balanced picture of a disaster greatly exacerbated by poor safety standards, negligent industry practices, and the recalcitrance of the fishermen themselves. As Campbell recounts the wrecks, fascinating details of clam fishing emerge: the extensive drug use among fishermen; the quick, bitter results of hypothermia at sea; and the proper loading rules for clams and quahogs—the two quarry upon whose capture a fishing boat's success is marked. As Campbell makes clear, even the most skilled fishermen often have little real understanding of vessel stability. This, along with the fact that many clam boats were not required to have inspections and the "very design of many fishing boats in the United States is suspect, according to the naval architects," helped produce disastrous results. Campbell's dramatic, highly personal reconstruction of the accidents and the sailors' last few days on land will remind readers of The Perfect Storm. (Feb.)