Catching Thunder The true story of the world's longest sea chase

Review by Booklist Review

Thunder was a pirate ship that sank off the African island of Sao Tome in April 2015 after being chased for 111 days by the Sea Shepherd environmental group's ship Bob Barker. The pirate ship was poaching endangered Patagonian toothfish in Antarctic waters when spotted by Captain Peter Hammarstadt, known globally to watchers of Animal Planet's Whale Wars. Why Thunder suddenly sank in calm water after surviving ice fields and terrible storms is only one of the mysteries in this story from Norwegian investigative journalists Engdal and Sæter. Readers learn about the shortcomings of international environmental-law enforcement and the greed of the Galician Mafia, who are behind a large slice of the planet's poaching of endangered fish. This sea adventure serves also as true-crime reporting. For lovers of fast-paced nonfiction narratives and supporters of wildlife conservation.--Roche, Rick Copyright 2018 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Norwegian journalists Engdal and Saeter chronicle the recent pursuit of the Thunder, an illegal fishing vessel plying the waters off Antarctica, in a surprisingly tepid narrative. On Dec. 17, 2017, Peter Hammarstedt, captain of the Bob Barker (a vessel belonging to the Sea Shepherds Conservation Society and named for the American game-show host) set out in pursuit of the rogue vessel. The authors set the stage early on, pitting one boat against the other. The Thunder, with an international crew and among "a fleet of battered trawlers and longline fishing vessels" wanted by Interpol, had been poaching fish for decades. Hammarstedt, meanwhile, was determined to catch it, "destroy the fishing gear and hand the crew over to the coast guard or port authorities." A cat-and-mouse pursuit ensues. Engdal and Saeter shine a broad light on maritime crimes committed in international waters by mixing in other stories of outlaw ships. Though pervasive, the authors write, maritime crimes are difficult to prosecute as profits are often hidden in tax havens, complicating the paper trail. Furthermore, "it is virtually impossible to induce those who know the operation from the inside to talk." The authors aren't able to fully capture the excitement of the chase, and once they reach the final days of the 110-day chase, the action comes too little, too late. Readers will easily root for Hammarstedt, but may lose interest in this lackluster maritime narrative. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by Library Journal Review

This work tells the story of the world's longest sea chase, which took place in 2011 between an infamous illegal fishing vessel wanted by Interpol and marine conservationists of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Norwegian journalists Engdal and Sæter not only do a commendable job of compiling the details of the chase and the histories of relevant cast members, they seamlessly contextualize it within the larger narrative of illegal fishing in international Antarctic waters over the last 30 years. Set against the backdrops of globalization and environmental conservation, the authors successfully use this exemplar case study to highlight the complex problems inherent in any attempt to regulate what transpires in international waters. The book spans so many topics of interest, it's hard to pinpoint a specific readership, or one that wouldn't find the story simultaneously engrossing and enlightening. VERDICT This is long-form investigative journalism at its finest. A riveting and thorough account of how complicated crime syndicates maneuver through murky globalized channels and how multilateral efforts by law enforcement agencies worldwide attempt to distribute justice.-Matt Gallagher, Univ. of the Sciences, Philadelphia © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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