Journalist and author Rose George has released a comprehensive investigation into the global fishing industry, revealing a landscape marred by ecological collapse, human rights abuses, and regulatory failure. In her latest work, Every Last Fish: A Deep Dive into the World of Fishes and Fishing, published by Granta Books in 2025, George draws on extensive firsthand research to expose the dark realities of modern maritime labor and marine depletion.
The book arrives at a critical juncture for ocean health. Overfishing has pushed production and consumption to record highs, while illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing continues to disrupt marine ecosystems. Simultaneously, climate change is warming seas, altering fish migration patterns, and reducing body sizes across species. Despite these compounding threats, George notes that the public often remains disengaged from the severity of the crisis.
George, who previously authored an award-winning book on the shipping industry, was prompted to investigate fishing after shipping insiders warned her that the fishing sector was even more opaque and problematic. Her research took her across continents, where she worked alongside trawlers, independent fishers, and aquaculturists. She also collaborated with scientists to explore fish intelligence and welfare, aiming to shift public perception of fish from mere food sources to sentient animals.
“Most people think of animals as kind of furry, cute things that they can empathize with or sympathize with,” George said. “Whereas sympathizing with fish… Samuel Coleridge called them ‘slimy things in the water.'” She emphasized that recent scientific advancements have revealed the complex cognitive and social abilities of fish, challenging the notion that they are simply “dead things on the plate.”
One major shift George highlights is the historical transition from wild-caught to farmed fish consumption. “For the first time in history, we’re going to be eating more farmed fish than hunted fish,” she explained. “We have switched from hunter-gatherers to settled farmers, even though in this case, it’s fish.”
Her travels revealed that while the fishing profession is dangerous and demanding worldwide, the sense of being “beleaguered” is a common theme. In Senegal, George observed how local sardinella stocks have been decimated by foreign trawlers, leaving staple fish unavailable for local populations. In the UK, small-scale fishermen like Rex Harrison express frustration over heavy bureaucratic burdens and a declining workforce, yet maintain a strong sense of pride in their role as “the last hunters.”
A central critique in the book is the inadequacy of monitoring and enforcement. George argues that the sheer scale of the ocean makes policing nearly impossible. “You can’t police the sea; it’s too big,” she stated. Currently, only about 2% of the fishing fleet carries independent observers, who face significant risks. George points to the suspicious deaths of several observers in the Pacific as evidence of the dangers they encounter, noting that forensic reports often incorrectly attribute fatalities to natural causes like hypertension.
The book also details severe labor abuses, including the plight of four Ghanaian workers who took jobs on a UK scalloper expecting reputable conditions. Instead, they faced horrific treatment and were effectively imprisoned on board due to restrictive trans-shipment visa regulations. “If you do want to be a criminal, there is no better place to do it,” George said, highlighting how the isolation of the sea facilitates exploitation.
Amid the grim findings, George found moments of hope and connection. She recounts the story of Rex Harrison, who, after befriending a BirdLife International representative, modified his nets to reduce seabird bycatch by 90%. She also maintains a respectful friendship with Captain Tom McClure, despite their fundamental disagreement on the ethics of bottom trawling.
Every Last Fish has been shortlisted for the 2026 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize. Through her reporting, George aims to make the invisible industry visible, urging a reevaluation of how humanity interacts with marine life and the oceans that sustain it.
Another book exposing ocean horrors? Hard to stay hopeful when regulation is this lax. My wallet can’t save the seas, can it?
I had no idea we were shifting to farmed fish overtaking wild catch. That’s a massive cultural and ecological turning point I missed entirely.
The bit about observer deaths being misattributed to hypertension is horrifying. How is policing the ocean even possible without better oversight?