Alaska Codfish Chronicle - by James Mackovjak (Paperback)

About the Book

300-word description:
While several books have been written about New England's Atlantic cod fishery, comparatively little has been written about Alaska's Pacific cod fishery. Alaska Codfish Chronicle is the first comprehensive history of this fishery. It chronicles the fishery from its inception in the early 1860s to the present day.
During the first nearly nine decades of the fishery's history--what the author terms the Salt Cod Era--cod were caught by dory fishermen using hand lines. Their stories were mostly of hardship and danger. The modern era of Alaska's Pacific cod fishery began with the passage in 1976 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, under which the United States claimed an exclusive economic zone extending 200 miles from its coasts. "Americanizing" the fishery--replacing the foreign fleets that had been ravaging the groundfish resources in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea--was a complicated, freewheeling endeavor. Today, the Pacific cod fishery is, in terms of poundage, the second largest fishery in Alaska and is considered among the best-managed fisheries in the world.
For a host of reasons, it is also Alaska's most complex fishery. Because of the arcane technology often employed by those associated with the commercial fishing industry and the complexity of fishing regulations, fishing industry histories are typically dense This history--which is extremely well documented--does not spare details, but it is written in a manner that makes it accessible to general public. It incorporates nearly a hundred photographs and illustrations and is sprinkled with numerous, often pithy, quotations gleaned from fishing industry journals and reports. And, to add a light touch, it even contains several poems and recipes.

100-word description:
Alaska Codfish Chronicle is a comprehensive history of Alaska's Pacific cod fishery from its inception in the early 1860s until the present day. It explains the development of the fishery, its structure and management, the technology employed, and the challenges the fishery faces.
This history is extremely well documented and is written in a manner that makes it accessible to those not familiar with the often arcane terminology often employed by those associated with the commercial fishing industry. It incorporates nearly one hundred photographs/illustrations and, to add a light touch, several poems and recipes.

One sentence description:
Alaska Codfish Chronicle is a comprehensive history of Alaska's Pacific cod fishery, from its inception in the early 1860s until the present day.

Book Synopsis

Cod is one of the most widely consumed fish in the world. For many years, the Atlantic cod industry took center stage, but partly thanks to climate change and overfishing, it is more and more likely that the cod on your kitchen table or in your fast food fish fillets came from Alaska's Pacific Cod Fishery.

Alaska Codfish Chronicle is the first comprehensive history of this fishery. It looks at the early decades of the fishery's history, a period marked by hardship and danger, as well as the dominance of foreign fishermen. And the modern era, beginning in 1976 when the United States claimed an exclusive economic zone around the Alaska coasts, "Americanizing" the fishery and replacing the foreign fleets that had been ravaging the resources in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea. Today, the Pacific cod fishery is, in terms of poundage, the second largest fishery in Alaska, and considered among the best-managed fisheries in the world.

This history is extremely well documented, does not spare details, and is accessible to general readers. It incorporates nearly a hundred photographs and illustrations and is sprinkled with numerous observations from fishing industry journals and reports, even incorporating poems and recipes, making this an especially thorough and unique account of one of Alaska's most iconic and important industries.

Review Quotes

"...interesting" and "...straightforward," "Thanks to [its] approach, the book is highly accessible and would be useful in any general collection, attracting readers with an interest in fisheries in general as well as those drawn to the Alaskan codfish culture in particular."

"Alaska codfish chronicle is an enjoyable book which completes the picture of how humans have exploited members of the Gadus genus....Worth reading by any fishery biologist interested in the history of fisheries and to the lay person who enjoys reading about exploration and the development of renewable resources."

"Extremely comprehensive, from the early days of the development of the fishery, to the competition with foreign boats, and the emergence of the modern fishery. . . . This will be a substantial contribution to the development of Pacific fisheries."

"This history is extremely well-documented, does not spare details, and is yet accessible to general readers. It incorporates nearly a hundred photographs and illustrations and is sprinkled with numerous observations from fishing industry journals and reports, and even includes several poems and recipes. Overall, this is an especially thorough and unique account of one of Alaska's most iconic and important fisheries."

"An engaging story with broad appeal, as both a popular history narrative as well as an essential reference for researchers studying the history and present-day evolutions of this multi-billion dollar industry."
―Sea History

About the Author

James Mackovjak has been involved with Alaska's fisheries since he first arrived in Alaska in 1969, working as a commercial fisherman and operating a small fish-processing business at Gustavus, in Southeast Alaska. His books include Aleutian Freighter: A History of Shipping in the Aleutian Islands Area and Alaska Salmon Traps.