The Feather Heist - Podcast Episode

[lacivic99]

This American Life released a podcast episode this weekend called The Feather Heist.
It's about salmon fly tying and the illicit feather trade.

Thought you guys might enjoy..give it a listen!

The Feather Heist - This American Life

 

[honyuk96]

This does nothing to improve a fly tyers craft, in fact it hurts our image. Please think about the big picture before posting stuff like this.

 

[clsmith131]

I can see where the narrator's language might ruffle some feathers... sorry couldn't resist. It was told by someone who isn't familiar with fly fishing or tying and he makes some derogatory remarks, but I'll look past his ignorance. It's an interesting story nonetheless.

 

[lacivic99]

This does nothing to improve a fly tyers craft, in fact it hurts our image. Please think about the big picture before posting stuff like this.

I really didn't post this link to improve our image or craft. As a fly fisherman and fly tier, I enjoyed the episode-- it's an interesting story.

Damn near all of us in the hobby prioritize ethics and environmental stewardship, especially here on this forum. That doesn't mean we should bury our heads in the sand and ignore the negative aspects of our hobby.

 

[honyuk96]

I agree w you to an extent. I am a salmonfly tyer and this whole thing got way out of line. I'm listening to the podcast now and i've already heard several statements that are NOT fact. Many of the folks Kurt spoke w for his book are personal, law abiding friends. I enjoyed the book, i bought it right when it came out. It is poorly written and a bit comical. What Edwin did was very wrong but the museum admittedly kept shoddy records of their inventory. They admittedly didnt know themselves what they had to begin w. I guess my bottom line is posting this sort of stuff does nothing positive for the art of fly tying, thats all.

 

[lacivic99]

Appreciate you elaborating. I'm not here to pick sides, just wanted to share with the community and open up the discussion.

 

[silver creek]

Worry not. "The Feather Thief" has been posted before.

The Feather Thief - Kirk Wallace Johnson

 

[tcorfey]

Orvis also did a podcast where Tom R. interviewed the author of "The Feather Thief". It was actually quite interesting because they went not only going in to what the book was about and a little about the illegal feather trade and what was lost when these extinct bird feathers were sold. But, also gave a little education about what feathers you can and cannot use legally for tying flies. Not my favorite podcast but it was interesting and I learned something from it.

Regards,

Tim C.

 

[myt1]

I listened to the first few minutes of the podcast, but I couldn't get through it.

It pretty much followed the book, but significantly dumbed-down.

I enjoyed the book. It was good but not great. As was alluded to in one of the above posts, it really wasn't written all that well. I thought the author brought himself into the story more than he had too.

Don't get me wrong, Kirk Johnson writes way better than I ever will, but at the same time I consider him kinda sorta a poor man's Jon Krakauer of "Into Thin Air" and "Under the Banner of Heaven" fame.

I think Jon Krakauer could've taken this story to an entirely different level.

That being said, I learned a ton reading this book, not just about feathers and flies, but I learned so much about what it was like to live around the turn of the 20th century, and I learned how naturalist scoured the earth collecting all sorts of species for their "collections", not just birds.

Interestingly, I was watching an old movie that was supposed to take place in the early 1900's and the women were wearing hats covered in feathers. If I hadn't read "The Feather Thief" the accuracy of the costumes would've been lost on me.

All in all, I give the book two thumbs up.

 

[triggw]

... What Edwin did was very wrong <PERIOD>...

Fixed your post.^^

With due respect to you and your law-abiding friends (and I sincerely mean that), if salmon fly tiers wanted to "do something positive for the art of fly tying" and " improve a fly tyers craft," they would discover new ways to tie these beautiful flies from modern, readily available, legal materials rather than dealing in illegal goods and trying to justify the theft on the basis that "the museum admittedly kept shoddy records of their inventory." (Which I don't think anyone at the museum actually did admit.)

I read the book. It is a very unsatisfying book, because Edwin Rist never paid a penalty for his crime and because Kirk Johnson was unsuccessful in his quest to locate and recover the large quantity of pelts that remain missing. But there's nothing about it that's poorly written (and I write for a living).

 

[bobtheblobman]

While I have not heard this story before, I think This American Life did a fine job of covering the story. They brought in the very human side of things that they always do so well.

 

[yikes]

From the podcast:
"This [necessity for exotic bird feathers] is all b******t. There is no reason a salmon should care about any of this. I mean, you could tie a chocolate wrapper to a hook and catch salmon."

Yes, it sounds silly when you step back from it, but so does a whole lot of other human enterprises. Meanwhile, here in LA, everyone is excited that the "Brady Bunch" house just sold for millions. Each has their own obsessions.

 

[0bie]

I haven't read the book but did catch the episode, thought it was pretty good- a little basic, but most folks in a radio audience aren't classic salmon fly tyers.

The narrator could be a little intense at times, but as a conservation biologist who uses museum specimens regularly- I get it. Those specimens weren't collected to decorate hats or hooks, but for scientific study. And with recent advances in analytical techniques (genetics, microchemistry, etc), those specimens are more valuable now (for science) than they were in the 19th century. The irony of ironies is birds stolen for classic salmon flies could've been used to inform conservation of bird species used in classic salmon flies. The specimens shed light on a world less influenced by man. They're artifacts. For scientists, what Rist did is akin to grave robbery.

IMO there's a few folks in the classic salmon fly community who haven't fully reckoned with the theft's consequences. Each of those skins is irreplaceable. People likely purchased them without knowing their scientific or conservation value, and that's fine. It's okay not to know. But the heist was years ago, it's been pretty well publicized, the classic salmon fly tying subculture isn't enormous. There is nothing stopping anyone from returning the outstanding material- if they're not interested in returning stolen property, it's hard to argue any external force is casting the hobby in a negative light. The damage is self-inflicted.

From an angling perspective, I think the really interesting part of the story is yet to be written. Whether fly tyers will use the incident as a learning experience- know what you're buying, if it's too good to be true it probably is, etc. Or whether it'll just be swept under the rug.