Hugo Kugiya

58 Degrees North by Hugo Kugiya is about the sinking of the Arctic Rose in the Bering Sea in 2001. It sank in under four minutes and all 15 crew members died. It was the most deadly fishing accident in almost 50 years. While ocean fishing is the most dangerous profession there is most deaths are one or two men at a time.

The book is very comprehensive and may contain more information about fishing, individual fish, boat building, governing of the industry, the fishing history of Seattle and Alaska and a lot more things than you thought you wanted to know, it is still very interesting to see how the Coast Guard inquiry, which took over 2 years, finally came to its conclusions.… (més)

Kugiya's exploration of the Arctic Rose's disastrous end is a comprehensive look at the men who worked aboard her and the circumstances that might have led to her destruction. Through looks at character, at science, and at the accepted dangers of commercial fishing, the book comes together as both a case study and a look back in honor of the fifteen men who died in April of 2001, likely before anyone realized something was wrong, let alone attempted to move forward in rescue.

The story is heartbreaking, but told with careful attention to detail, to respect, to history, and to the realities of the fishing industry, as it stands. For anyone interested in knowing more about how the industry works, the dangers and the realities and the pleasures and the difficulties, this is a must-read. For anyone simply looking for a real story of the men of the Arctic Rose, or an attempt at untangling the loss and the mystery of all of it, this is also a must-read.

Recommended.… (més)

Having worked up in the Bering Sea fleet as an observer, this is a decent look at the circumstances and story surrounding the loss of the "Arctic Rose", one of the more infamous Alaskan fishing boat losses in recent years. Kugiya covers the story of the men, the ship, and the industry--even the fisheries observers--and explains them nicely for the novice. It also covers the post-disaster; the inquiry, the effects on the families of Seattle, etc. The book gets a little bit too much into personal speculation on motives, thoughts, etc. for my taste, but overall it's a pretty good read on a little-known subject.… (més)