Daniel Whittle, an attorney with the Environmental Defense Fund, speaks in this interview about his experiences working for the North Carolina state government during the era of the Fisheries Reform Act. As an adviser to the Assistant Secretary of Natural Resources, he gathered stakeholder input during the mid-1990's.

Former journalist Frank Tursi describes his upbringing in Brooklyn, New York and how he moved to North Carolina. This oral history focuses on Frank's recollections of fisheries debates surrounding the Fisheries Reform Act and the factors that drove it.

Melvin Shepard is a commercial fisherman from Sneads Ferry, NC. In this interview, he discusses his roles as a commercial fisherman, past president of the NC Coastal Federation, member of the NC Ocean Resources Taskforce, NC Coastal Resources Commission and Moratorium Steering Committee.

Executive Director of the North Carolina Fisheries Association, Jerry Schill, discusses the history of the NCFA, his role as director and the development of the 1997 Fisheries Reform Act. He offers insights on the key political figures who were active in the process and describes the tensions surrounding the bill.

Former Vice President of Communications for the North Carolina Fisheries Association, Sandy Semans Ross, discusses in this interview her work as a fisheries advocate during the mid-1990s. Her interview includes perspectives on the Fisheries Reform Act and opinions on portrayals of the commercial fishing industry.

This is an interview with seafood dealer Willy Phillips, owner of Full Circle Crab Company in Columbia, NC. Phillips describes his business and efforts to fight for clean water protections in North Carolina's estuaries. He also offers insight into the actions of the Moratorium Steering Committee and the process of crafting the Fisheries Reform Act of 1997.

North Carolina's 73rd state governor, Beverly Perdue, who served from 2009-2013 discusses her political career and the Fisheries Reform Act. Perdue describes campaigning and the challenges of establishing bridges between the commercial and recreational fishing communities.

In this interview, Pam Davis Morris, a commercial fisher living on Harkers Island, shares her recollections of how she entered the industry and how commercial fishing has changed during her career. Some of the topics included in the interview are "clam kicking," the Fisheries Reform Act of 1997 and the Moratorium Steering Committee.

Robert Lucas, former Chairman of the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission led efforts to pass the 1997 Fisheries Reform Act. In this oral history, Lucas discusses his law career and how he became involved in fisheries issues in the mid-1990's. He provides insight into how the law was shaped through public meetings and negotiation with stakeholders.

Jess Hawkins began working for the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries in 1978 and has enjoyed a long career as a fisheries biologist and Marine Fisheries Commission Liaison. He also teaches at Duke University's Beaufort Marine Lab. In this interview, he describes the ideas behind the Fisheries Reform Act of 1997 and his relationships with the other major figures who took part in that legislation.