Ogilvy's book is a study of the history and risks of overfishing, but it's also powerful nature writing, rich with his own first-hand observations, along with a lively story about the consequences of rapacious capitalism, international disputes and technological innovation.

Los Angeles Times, "Best of the Summer 2026"

Ogilvy is a gifted writer, and his evocative language takes readers into places like reeking cannery decks slick with fish guts to explore the racism and labor exploitation that were prevalent throughout history and still haunt the industry today…. Tin Can Coast, which treats the land as a character alongside the human players, deserves a place among classic California history texts such as City of Quartz.

Civil Eats 

As tinned fish packed in fancy olive oil remains all the rage on store shelves, Joseph Ogilvy takes the conversation to California, whose complicated fishing history remains overlooked. Tin Can Coast reckons with the state's often exploitative relationship with its coasts. The chef and writer explores how the California Current-once home to troves of large yellowfin tuna, abalone, and sardines-became a gold mine for profit. Ogilvy traces the geopolitical, capitalist, and cultural forces that led to the growing popularity of seafood, racist immigrant policies, and the depletion of sea once brimming with life.

Food Tank

Ogilvy's first book, firmly situated at the intersection of social sciences and ecocriticism, pulls no punches as it examines the legacy of the California Current...Lyrically written, the book examines these topics from an ecological lens, emphasizing interconnectedness and the domino effect of cascading harmful practices. It is an eye-opening and even jaw-dropping account.

Library Journal

Ogilvy debuts with an ambitious and sweeping history of hunting and fishing along the California coast, tracing centuries of upheaval by humans . . . A lucid, unsettling diagnosis of the economic, political, and ecological forces shaping the Pacific Coast.

Publishers Weekly, starred review

This far-reaching work of history demonstrates how seemingly disparate forces can work together to make or break a town, an industry, a community, or a once-thriving species. Tin Can Coast will appeal to a wide variety of readers interested in economic forces, the environment, and twentieth-century American history.

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