Carey, Richard Adams 1951–

PERSONAL: Born October 18, 1951, in Hartford, CT; son of John Henry and Mary Jane (Farrell) Carey; married Lois Anne Kuglin, November 16, 1974; children: Ryan Adams, Kyle Anne. Education: Harvard College, B.A., 1973; Lesley College, M.Ed., 1984.

ADDRESSES: Office—Holderness School, Plymouth, NH 03264. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Counterpoint Press, 387 Park Ave. S., New York, NY 10016.

CAREER: Lower Kuckokwim School District, teacher in Kongiganak, AK, 1977–79, principal, 1979–84, principal in Chefornake, AK, 1988–89, director of Yupik studies in Bethel, AK, 1990–91; writer in Sandwich, NH, 1984–86, 1989–90; Moultonboro School District, NH, teacher, 1986–88; Holderness School, Plymouth, NH, director of communications, 1991–94. Member of board of directors, Sandwich Players, 1991–94.

AWARDS, HONORS: Notable Book award, 1992, for Raven's Children.

WRITINGS:

NONFICTION

Raven's Children: An Alaskan Culture at Twilight, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1992.

Against the Tide: The Fate of the New England Fishermen, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1999.

The Philosopher Fish: Sturgeon, Caviar, and the Geography of Desire, Counterpoint (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor to professional journals.

SIDELIGHTS: Richard Adams Carey has chronicled disappearing ways of life in two of his books, Raven's Children: An Alaskan Culture at Twilight and Against the Tide: The Fate of the New England Fishermen. The former was drawn from his experiences among the indigenous people of Alaska; to research the latter, he worked on four different fishing boats sailing from the Cape Cod region of Massachusetts. In his third book, The Philosopher Fish: Sturgeon, Caviar, and the Geography of Desire, he examines the history of the sturgeon, a once-numerous species of fish whose population is now in danger.

Carey was living in Alaska, working as a teacher in Kongiganak, when in 1989, he spent a summer with two Yupik Eskimos, Oscar and Margaret Active. That summer provided the genesis for Raven's Children, a book that discusses traditional ways of life for the Eskimos and what the reality of contemporary life has become for them as ancient cultural values collide with modern problems such as alcoholism, poverty, and the difficulties of obtaining fishing permits. A Publishers Weekly reviewer called Raven's Children a "thoroughly researched, engagingly written sociological study," and noted: "Carey brings this world alive."

A culture of rugged fishermen has long been a part of New England's heritage, but by the late twentieth century that way of life had been virtually destroyed. Government regulations first allowed foreign trawlers to overfish the Atlantic waters off New England; when this practice was halted, super-efficient factory fishing boats financed by U.S. business interests moved in, aggressively depleting the fish stocks. During the 1970s, New England fishermen accounted for approximately twenty percent of the world's fish catch; more recently that figure has plummeted to two or three percent, largely because of dwingling fish populations. In Against the Tide Carey recounts his experiences with four fishermen on Cape Cod, each involved in a different aspect of the industry. He gives detailed information on the mechanics of fishing itself, as well as reflections on the loss of this part of American culture. According to Robert Finch, a reviewer for the New York Times, the book is "deep ecological journalism at its best, an effective and compassionate chronicle of a threatened way of life."

The sturgeon is a fish that can grow so large that it may have given rise to tales of the Loch Ness monster. It was once prized as a food by European royalty, but eventually fell into disfavor and was considered a "junk fish," suitable only for feeding to animals. Demand for the sturgeon has since risen dramatically; its eggs are considered the best form of caviar, with certain types being sold for as much as one hundred dollars an ounce. Even as sturgeon populations have subsequently plummeted, those who love their caviar remain willing to hunt the fish down, even if it means breaking the law to do so. Carey examines this desire and what it has done to fish stocks, and also takes a look at those who are struggling to save the sturgeon. His book is "a nonfiction page-turner," according to a reviewer for Science News, and a Publishers Weekly writer stated that in his story of the sturgeon, Carey imparts to his readers "a deeper understanding of the human species."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Carey, Richard Adams, Raven's Children: An Alaskan Culture at Twilight, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1992.

PERIODICALS

Business Week, June 28, 1999, review of Against the Tide: The Fate of the New England Fishermen, p. 14E10.

Entertainment Weekly, March 4, 2005, Michelle Kung, review of The Philosopher Fish: Sturgeon, Caviar, and the Geography of Desire, p. 79.

Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2005, review of The Philosopher Fish, p. 29.

Library Journal, June 15, 1999, Mary J. Nickum, review of Against the Tide, p. 103; April 1, 2005, Susan E. Brazer, review of The Philosopher Fish, p. 120.

Los Angeles Times, May 29, 2005, Kai Maristed, review of The Philosopher Fish.

New York Times, August 22, 1999, Robert Finch, review of Against the Tide.

Publishers Weekly, April 27, 1992, review of Raven's Children, p. 239; May 3, 1999, review of Against the Tide, p. 60; January 31, 2005, review of The Philosopher Fish, p. 58.

Science News, March 19, 2005, review of The Philosopher Fish, p. 191.