Down to the Sea

About this book

For over a century the Warren family has earned a hard and dangerous living, fishing out of Eden on the south coast of New South Wales. From the family's first fisherman, Old Ike, plying the coast in an open sailing boat in the late nineteenth century, to the Warrens today, using satellites and computers; from handlining to the brutal efficiency of purse seining, we witness a century of profound change that has forever altered the nature of our oceans. As the seasons unfold, and generations come and go, there emerges an intimate portrait of a family earning their living in a perilous and unforgiving environment. Through depression, war, shipwreck and storm, record catches and bitter disappointments, fights and family feuds, the Warrens have endured in a game where only the hardiest survive.Filled with unforgettable characters, adventure, humour and pathos, this is the inspiring story of a fishing dynasty – showing just how extraordinary the ordinary can be.