Interview: Journalist exposes the hidden crises of global fishing
In an interview, author Rose George discusses her book 'Every Last Fish,' which explores overfishing, illegal fishing, and the intelligence of marine animals. She highlights the challenges of policing the vast oceans and the urgent need for sustainable practices.
George's investigative work builds on her earlier reporting on the shipping industry, where industry insiders repeatedly pointed her toward fishing as a far more troubled sector. For this project, she embedded with trawlers and fish farmers across multiple continents while consulting scientists on marine animal cognition and welfare. Her research uncovered severe human rights abuses alongside ecological damage, including documented cases of slavery and murder aboard fishing vessels. The book's recognition as a Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize finalist underscores its scientific credibility.
The industry faces unprecedented transformation: humanity now consumes more farmed fish than wild-caught for the first time in history, marking a fundamental shift from hunting to aquaculture. Meanwhile, warming seas are relocating marine populations and reducing fish body sizes, compounding pressures from illegal fishing that evades oversight. George emphasizes that the ocean's sheer scale makes effective enforcement nearly impossible, leaving vast stretches of water effectively ungoverned.
This book could reshape public understanding of seafood consumption by connecting distant ecological crises to everyday choices. Consumers may become more discerning about sourcing, while policymakers could face renewed pressure to strengthen maritime enforcement and traceability standards. The exposure of labor abuses at sea may also prompt scrutiny of supply chains by human rights organizations and retailers. However, the overwhelming scale of the problem risks fostering resignation rather than action, suggesting meaningful change will require coordinated international cooperation that currently appears limited.