Blood in the Water: Fishing Tales of the Islands

Here are six vividly told tales of the lives of Pacific Isles fishermen. These exciting and often blood chilling stories are strikingly real depictions of the hardships and triumphs of men engaged in an unending battle with the sea as they sail from small villages along lush tropic shores into the endless and often hostile ocean in search of a day’s living. Whether they run hot through vast schools of tuna, seek solitary battle with the giant broad billed swords, spearfish along the steep edges of outer reefs, or spend a night sounding the depths of hauntingly dark and deep seas, they must always anticipate the gut wrenching fear that comes with suddenly confronting the angry unknown. And when the fishing is done, they must return home and fight for their place in a world that has little understanding of the hardships they endure beyond the price of a fish. These tales illustrate with sometimes frightening and often humorous clarity a bit of what it means to be a small boat fisherman of the Pacific. M.N. Muench has lived in the Pacific for many years and draws on his experiences and understanding of village life and culture to paint poignant pictures of these always daring and often desperate men and their challenging way of life.