1992: Fishing scandal inspires author

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Tags: Arts, books, Science, winter-2009

Katherine Johnson at the Hobart launch of Pescador's Wake at Fuller's Bookshop

Katherine Johnson, BSc (hons), BA

Turning fact into fiction is exactly what Katherine Johnson achieved in writing an award-winning novel, drawing from her experience as a science journalist.

Inspired by real-life events, her first novel, Pescador’s Wake, involves the crew of an Australian patrol vessel given instructions to pursue the Pescador, a Uruguayan-flagged boat suspected of illegally fishing the Patagonian toothfish.

Having relocated with her husband to Tasmania to work as a science journalist for the Marine Division of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) after graduating, Ms Johnson said she was captivated by research on the little-known deep sea and the threats posed by illegal fishing.

But it was not until hearing a radio report about a Uruguayan longliner pursued for allegedly fishing illegally in Australian waters that she started the manuscript that would become Pescador’s Wake.

“Becoming a novelist was not on my radar when I graduated from the University,” Ms Johnson said.

“But such stories captured my imagination and filled my head with questions: what is going on with the world’s fisheries when fishermen are prepared to risk their lives travelling to the earth’s most remote southern seas, to fish in the deepest waters, in pursuit of a single species?”

Then expecting her second child, Ms Johnson began crafting a work of fiction based on the perilous trips and pursuits these boats and their crew faced in the world of illegal fishing.

“I was fortunate to receive a HarperCollins Varuna Award for Manuscript Development in 2007, which provided me with the incredibly valuable experience of working with an in-house editor from HarperCollins,” she said.

“This fabulous opportunity was the turning point in my career as a writer of fiction, and one for which I will be ever grateful.”

Published by HarperCollins (Fourth Estate), Pescador’s Wake explores the trade of illegal boat fishing, dealing with the personal dramas of the men and women involved in this hazardous industry.

“It isn’t just a story about fishing. It’s a story of love and of loss, of betrayal and, ultimately, of human resilience,” Ms Johnson said.

By Matthew Bassos

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