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‘Ring of Bright Water’ was an autobiographical account of Gavin Maxwell’s adventures raising a wild otter. The book touched the hearts of readers and became a best seller. Before he turned to wildlife conservation, Maxwell was a skilled hunter. During the Second World War, while serving in the Special Services Training Spies, Maxwell bought the small Hebridean island of Soay. With the altruistic fervour of a new laird, Maxwell built a basking shark factory in the hope it would sustain Soay's dwindling population and line his pockets at the same time.

As the shark carcasses piled up, Maxwell became troubled about the creatures he slaughtered for their oil. Despite the fact that Maxwell assumed the right to kill brutally and indiscriminately as many sharks as possible, he did feel some pity towards them. There are moments in the book he later wrote about his experiences, where we glimpse Maxwell the conservationist rather than Maxwell the killer. In one passage from ‘Harpoon at a Venture’ Maxwell wrestled with his conscience – weighing up the pain levels that a cold-blooded, 30-ft-long fish with a brain the size of a matchbox experiences when it’s been harpooned. He concluded it was a slow, cruel death. After four seasons, the ill-fated enterprise failed.