Over 50 color photographs of fish factory ruins along the Atlantic Coast, with an historical essay on the menhaden-processing fisheries by H. Bruce Franklin (author of The Most Important Fish in the Sea), chapters on New York, New Jersey and Virginia menhaden factories.

6” x 9” 96 pages, soft cover, $19.50
ISBN 978-0-9817670-1-7
Available from Pogonia Books 170 West End Avenue, 27N, New York, NY 10023. ruth23form@rcn.com, 212 799 3984. www.ruthformanek.com

 

Praise for Fish Factory Ruins

"Ruth Formanek’s book of photographs and essays, particularly H. Bruce Franklin’s introduction, represents a cautionary tale of the effects of overfishing on coastal communities. The book is part requiem, part call to action to restore what can yet be saved. Let us hope that knowledge of the consequences of past mismanagement recorded in this book will help us avoid repeating our mistakes".

— John Hocevar, Oceans Campaign Director, Greenpeace USA

"In this remarkable book, evocative photographs and text complement each other to provide a multidimensional view of the little-known history and eventual demise of a major industry on the east coast. Documenting the rise and fall of the menhaden industry over a period of 150 years, the volume represents a significant introduction to industrial archeology for the general reader".

— Margery B. Franklin, Professor emerita, Sarah Lawrence College, New York

"This splendid book delivers a tragic eulogy to the derelict remains of the formerly prosperous menhaden fishing-and-processing industry, ruined through overfishing. A combination of extraordinary photography, evocative prose and rich historical details contrasts the vibrant industrial past to the large metal-and-brick processing plants, rusting silently as nature reclaims them".

—Tim Edensor, author of Industrial Ruins, Aesthetics and Materiality. Reader in Cultural Geography, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK