Tales of the Fish Patrol

by Jack London

In this classic collection of stories drawn from his own experiences, the author looks back on his days as a teenager aboard the fishing boats of San Francisco Bay. In the early 1900s, men of all stripes descended on these waters to plunder its rich oyster beds. To stop the run on the waters, a patrol was established. Jack London began his youthful adventures on the wrong side of the law, as an oyster pirate. But conscience and common sense got the better of him, and at the age of 16 he became a member of the Fish Patrol. Dedicated to enforcing the many laws that were passed to protect the fish, the Fish Patrol had many death-defying encounters with the pirates. These 7 short stories, based both on Jack's experiences and those of his fellow deputies, describe these incredible encounters.

Includes:
- White and Yellow
- The King of the Greeks
- A Raid on the Oyster Pirates
- The Siege of the "Lancashire Queen
- Charley's Coup
- Demetrios Contos
- Yellow Handkerchief

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Short Stories, Adventure, Audiobook, American, Literature

116 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1905

About the author

John Griffith Chaney, better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction.

London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of animal rights, workers’ rights and socialism. London wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam.

His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in Alaska and the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen".

Reviews

[Jayakrishnan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seven short stories in which two patrolmen prevent illegal fishing by Chinese, Italian and Greek fishermen in the San Francisco Bay. Not much character development here. Just relentless action. I enjoyed a couple of stories - Demetrios Contos and Yellow Handkerchief. I cannot say I cared for the rest. One reason could be that the stories were told from the point of view of a character who worked for the authorities. But the main problem was that it was all action and there was not much about the characters or even the place. The narrator is a sixteen year old employed by the Fish Commission who charters his sloop called Reindeer. I guess this collection of stories can be classified as coming of age. The narrator is a bit older in the final story when he goes off to school.

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been rather critical of London. Maybe that comes from the importance I place on freedom and the negative feelings created by having his work forced upon me in school. But because of stories like this I'm starting to come around to London as an author (the jury's still out on my judgement of him as a man.) These are just downright fun tales about catching fish poachers. Those who like stories about sailing, smugglers, San Franciscan waters and perhaps other S words I've missed will lap up these short-but-sweet treats!

[Tom Willard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would be a fun collection of short stories written early in London's life. London himself was an oyster pirate, as the oyster beds in the San Francisco Bay were privatized. He then went on to work for the opposition; the fish patrols sailed throughout the bay busting Chinamen with fishnets with illegal mesh, and angry greeks who shoot with no notice. In Haley's biography, which I am reading now, these exploits seemed fairly amazing. Sadly, London's depictions devolve into muddy action sequences which all suffer the same predictable conclusion. I mostly find this interesting due to my location in San Francisco; I never would have known these things occurred here.

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Okay, now I'm thoroughly confused - do I like Jack London or not?! Some of what I'd read recently comes across as racist - and then, this - ?) This was wonderful, about his experiences on the fish patrol (as a 16 year old, mind you, which only adds to my distress, because he's a plucky, indomitable lad, someone I could not help rooting for). Lots of adventure and fun in these stories, and none of the stuff I can't stand. At his best, London writes with verve and colour, whatever your opinion of the man himself.

[Karen Chung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting vignettes taken from London's two years working with the California Fish Patrol in his youth. London is very good at building up suspense, then seeing it to a satisfying conclusion. The character voices of the reader (I listened to it as a Librivox audio book) were mostly a bit too high and nasal to be convincing, but the rest of the reading, in the role of the narrator, was very good and well suited to the genre.

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly, not very much about fish

[Mae · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring and racist. Jack London sure thinks a lot of himself for someone who was described by E.A. McIlhenny as the laziest man he had ever worked with.

[Mariangel · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Jack London was 16, he joined the Fish Patrol, sailing the San Francisco bay to prevent abusive fishing practices. This allowed him to save money to pay for high school. This book tells some great stories of how the Fish Patrol managed to outsmart the very smart and sometimes dangerous law-breaking fishermen.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that I read on my Kindle to the kids at bedtime. It's taken quite a while, because their mom usually reads to them at bedtime. I enjoyed this book, but the kids received it with mixed reviews. When we finished tonight, Braedi asked if there was a second book, and Dyllan cheered that it was finally over.

One thing I enjoyed about the book is that it is believable. There's just enough detail that you can immerse yourself in the setting, but no too much to overwhelm you with the detail. We learned about different kinds of ships, different forms of fishing, and different geographical formations, like a bight.

The book is a series of short stories about a young man who works with the fish patrol capturing poachers. He has several scary run ins with shady characters, some of which wanted to take his life for interfering in their illegal fishing. Throughout, the theme of justice prevails, and especially in the second to last story we get to see a nice dose of mercy mixed in.

My rating of 3 stars likely shows how much I was affected by the kids' mixed reception. I really enjoyed the stories and plan to read more of London's books this summer.

[Jefferson Fortner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack London is always fun. Often he can be thought provoking, but this collection was not intended to be anything else other than a series of adventures for boys and young men. London certainly delivers that. As a teenager, London owned a boat and spent time as an Oyster Pirate, raiding the oyster beds that belonged to others and then selling the illegally gathered oysters in San Francisco, or Oakland, or wherever. However, he soon quit his illegal activities and joined the Fish Patrol. This collection of seven stories is based upon his time there and uses the experiences that he and others of the patrol dealt with during that period of his life. They are fun and fast paced stories, but unfortunately reveal a bit of the racism of the era, especially with the two stories dealing with illegal fishing by this one particular Chinese character. Still, the collection fits in well with the other “sea adventure” novels and stories that London produced.

[David Macpherson · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are related stories about three people stationed out of San Fransisco who are tasked with stopping poachers taking fish and clams and what not. It is stolidly written and pretty racist but still a good view of the world of law enforcment a hundred years ago. One fascinating aspect is that the fish patrol make no money but live off of capturing poachers and getting either the reward or a portion of their court fine. The sense of right and wrong is very unclear as there is the sense that what is proper and acceptable is not completely defined yet. That part is interesting, the attitude towards the Chinese is pretty awful though.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a man who only lived forty short years, Jack London’s was a very full life.

Most of his adventures happened as a teenager.
Then his last sixteen years were spent writing about them.

He was an oyster pirate in the San Francisco and surrounding bays. Then joined the Fish Patrol policing those same pirates and others who broke the “fish laws”.

Both sides were dangerous and dodging bullets was an occupational hazard.

After a few years of this, he quit to pursue his high school education.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack London's early adventures make for a fresh innocent read. This should be a classic. The stories reflect a time when you were as good as you proved yourself to be and you could be what you worked to be.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun, short read. Typical London writing. Suspenseful, funny, educational, and real. I really feel like I know more about the early days on my own San Francisco Bay. Excellent.

[Tessa Nadir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack London este genul de scriitor ale carui opere au trecut testul timpului, fiind citite atat in copilarie cat si mai tarziu de catre adulti.
"Tales of the fish patrol" a aparut in 1905 si actiunea are loc in Golful San Francisco. Acesta este foarte intins si contine o mare varietate de peste fiind intesat cu foarte multe barci de pescuit si pescari nesabuiti. Pentru a proteja pestele de toti acestia s-au adoptat mai multe legi infiintandu-se si o patrula de pescuit care sa aiba grija ca acestea sa fie respectate.
Naratorul nostru, un pusti de 16 ani, bun barcagiu ajunge sa faca parte si el dintr-o asemenea patrula, ca ajutor de politist, cat timp barca sa "Reindeer" este inchiriata acestui scop. Alaturi de el vom participa la cateva aventuri palpitante, periculoase si bogate in detalii despre barci, mare, furtuni nemaipomenite, vietuitoare marine, pescari si caracterele lor aspre dar omenoase. Cu totii sunt plini de curaj demonstrandu-ne ca omul marii nu poate fi oricine.
Prima misiune va fi impotriva unei barci cu pescuitori de creveti ce trebuie capturati si predati autoritatilor.
A doua isprava se refera la prinderea lui Alec cel Mare, un pirat ce se lauda ca nimeni nu e capabil sa-l inhate, mai ales patrula.
Urmeaza apoi un raid asupra ambarcatiunii Fantoma detinuta de branconieri de stridii si asediul asupra navei Lancashire Queen. Aceasta din urma este una dintre cele mai grele incercari ale patrulei ce a durat doua saptamani si a fost memorabila.
Pentru alte si alte intamplari, la fel de incitante, ramane sa cititi cartea, eu limitandu-ma sa prezint doar un mic antreu care sa va deschida pofta pentru aventurile pe mare.
In culegere gasim 7 mici povestiri savuroase ce pot fi citite separat dar si impreuna pentru ca au personaje comune.
Lectura a reprezentat o experienta extrem de placuta, cartea merita citita pentru caracterele puternice pe care Jack London le confera personajelor, pentru descrierile neobisnuite si impresionante ale marii si vietii de marinar.
Am constatat ca am citit atatea carti cu nave, marinari si pirati incat, teoretic as fi in stare sa navighez pe Dunare, daca mi-as aduna cateva scanduri si mi-as construi o pluta. Insa, asa cum bine stim, practica ne omoara. :)

[Uncle Dave Avis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good read that is very different to novels written today. Interesting items pop up like shoelaces made from porpoise hide and other things we don't remember from a century or more ago.
For those who know the San Francisco Bay area, the places should be familiar. There was actually countryside between the towns and a whole lot less people. Interesting stories of the Chinese, Italians, Sweeds, and Greek fishermen. There were actually sturgeon and salmon in the bay too!
Good book for a refreshing read.

[Jill White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a sailor nor am I familiar with all the sailing jargon. Even though this book was full of descriptions of sailboats and maneuvering them, I found myself caught up in the stories. I admit it helps that I'm familiar with the places he mentions which made it fun for me to see those names in his stories. I'm also one of those who reads forwards and introductions and in this book it explained how dangerous and tricky the currents and tides are in the San Francisco Bay.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 Interesting look at London’s early life through these semi-autobiographical stories about his teenage years in the SF Bay Area. Having lived in that area for the better part of a decade, I found the description of the Bay a hundred years prior just fascinating. It was like reading about tales of the Wild West aboard shrimping, fishing, and oyster boats.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Интересно скорее с точки зрения рыбацкого быта начала прошлого века. Остроумные технические решения проблем с браконьерами, полиэтничный состав последних в заливе Сан-Франциско, подробности промысла лосося и устриц.

[Zack Hester · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tales of the Fish Patrol - Jack London (1905)

White and Yellow — 3/5
The King of the Greeks — 3/5
A Raid on the Oyster Pirates — 2/5
The Siege of the Lancashire Queen — 2/5
Charley's Coup — 2/5
Demetrios Contos — 3/5
Yellow Handkerchief — 2/5

[Gordon Popular · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book in the style it's written. If you like Jack London and his style you'll love this book. Not as gritty as the Sea Witch, but good. A quick and easy read for pure pleasure, not much stopping and thinking.

[Gu Kun · Rating 3 out of 5]

London's adventures of ships and the sea: fine - of the inclement northern wilderness: thrilling - of animals: enchanting. These seven autobiographical stories are in the first category. As other reviewers I liked "Demetrios Contos" best - for its heart-warming twist in the tail.

[Ken Abel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its interesting to read about people's ways of life from times gone by. There's not much literary meat here. Its just some stories passed down to us. Its amazing how much responsibility 14 year olds could have back then. Running a fish patrol boat, carrying a revolver, capturing prisoners.

[Kendal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish i had read this as a teen. It has old dchool racial ethnic attitudes.

[Biblioworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Это одна из первых книг Джека Лондона, но уже со всеми его атрибутами - мужественные люди, не теряющие морального стержня в самых нечеловеческих условиях. Не сдающиеся перед трудностями судьбы.

Язык довольно сложный. В первых это имитация простонародного произношения - "we jes' wish", "S'pose" и так далее.
Во-2х это редко встречающиеся слова, не такие уж сложные, но которых конкретно в моем активном словаре нет - например, "discomfiture".

Но книга захватила меня также, как и другие рассказы Джека Лондона, которые я читал в юности.

Любопытно, конкретно в этих рассказах видеть некий юридический вакуум, который компенсируется благородством даже со стороны нарушителей закона.
Впрочем, возможно тут уже сам автор смещает акценты, воспринимая мир через призму своего отношения к жизни.

[Matteo Fulgheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry to say, but I found it a bit boring, with a huge amount of sailing terms with which I am totally unfamiliar, especially in English...

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic Jack London tales inspired by his days as a Oyster pirate/ Coast Guard!
Interestingly enough, every story involves Chinese or Greeks.

[Станислав · Rating 4 out of 5]

Приятные рассказы из жизни Рыбнадзора. Лондон на своей территории , аристократы и искусствоведы у него получались не очень , но про рыбаков и инспекторов он знает хорошо.

[Audiobook Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, I listened to the audiobook version on YouTube. I will leave the link below so that everyone can enjoy it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBB-F...

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not his strongest work. Was harder to follow and get entranced by his storytelling than Sea Wolf, White Fang, Call of the Wild, South Sea Tales, etc.