Chilean Sea Bass and “Shepherds”

I spend some time at the Cleveland International Film Festival last weekend and among other things, I saw a documentary called “The Last Ocean” about the Ross Sea and the rapid decline of the Antarctic tooth fish (aka Chilean Sea Bass) that are being caught faster than they can replenish. Sadly, the Marine Stewardship Council has certified the fishery as “sustainable” despite testimony by multiple marine experts to the contrary. It reminded me how I got started writing Shepherds. As wild fish stocks disappear, something will have to be done, something different than any of the current solutions. “Shepherds” looks at one possibility and uses that as the setting for a tale of murder and suspense. I wish we’d figure out how to manage Earth’s resources better but that doesn’t seem likely.