Introduction

It is 1977 and the 200-mile Fisheries Conservation Zone law has just passed. In New England everyone sees dollar bills jumping out of the ocean and all the hustlers, sharks, conmen and schemers are loose in the industry.

Characters and Motivations

Jim Hunt wants the bigger boat. Basil Banyon wants to reclaim earlier glories before his family lost their fleet to the Canadians in the 1950s. Walt Pesco just wants to make a decent living as a hired skipper and now he’s working for Banyon.

The Incident

One October day Hunt’s little 44-foot tub trawler Peapod collides with Banyon’s Billow, skippered by Pesco, and Peapod sinks. Hunt wants his insurance money in a hurry, Banyon is afraid his company will be blamed, and Pesco fears he may lose his license.

The Confrontation

At the Fish Expo in Boston in late October Hunt and Banyon confront each other and events spiral out of control....