College of the Atlantic

Interviewee Collection Sort descending Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Glenn Robbins Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

Glenn Robbins is a herring and lobster fisherman out of Rockland, ME. He has extensive experience on the sea as he started fishing when he was 12 years old. He compares purse seining and trawling and talks about their effects on marine ecosystems. Robbins also speaks about the changes, as well as the rises and falls, in the fisheries over the past 60 years. Robbins emphasizes how important it is to fish sustainably and protect fishing grounds.

Natalie Springuel Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute
Sam Ladley Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

Sam Ladley, who summered on Matinicus, ME, as a child, started to go lobstering with his father and fellow youngsters by the age of 8. Ladley shares stories from his childhood fishing with his family and friends including how he survived a sinking ship accident and how, another time, their boat’s engine broke in a thick fog.

Natalie Springuel Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute
Donald Wagner Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

John McMillan, the owner of McMillan Offshore Survival Training and resident of Belfast, ME, and Don Wagner, one of his employees, offer the Drill Conductor Course to lobstermen. Both focus on the importance of safety training in the lobster industry and include stories of the gratitude people have expressed at knowing what to do in emergency situations, particularly when their training was able to save multiple lives.

Matt Frassica, Kaitlyn Clark Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute
Steven Holler Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

Steven Holler, a lobsterman out of Boston, MA, begins by talking about the flooding that was happening in Boston at the time of the interview and its effects on the fishermen and his family. He speaks about his experiences fishing out of Boston since he was 14 years old and about the different fishing communities in Maine. Holler shares his thoughts about the current whale entanglement issues and explains why he has decided to lobster only in summer and fall.

Galen Koch Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute
Senator Angus King Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

Angus King, a United States senator from Brunswick, ME, speaks about the community of Maine and the cross-section of challenges and interests that are represented by people who attend the Maine Fishermen’s Forum. He focuses on the upcoming changes that the Maine community will need to face such as the recent Canadian trade deal with Europe, the Gray Zone, and climate change.

Galen Koch, Teagan White Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute
John McMillan Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

John McMillan, the owner of McMillan Offshore Survival Training and resident of Belfast, ME, and Don Wagner, one of his employees, offer the Drill Conductor Course to lobstermen. Both focus on the importance of safety training in the lobster industry and include stories of the gratitude people have expressed at knowing what to do in emergency situations, particularly when their training was able to save multiple lives.

Matt Frassica, Kaitlyn Clark Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute
Tap Pryor Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

Tap Pryor, an aquaculturist through Maine Shellfish Developers from Brunswick, ME, is currently attempting to grow oysters more efficiently and sustainably by growing them onshore. He speaks about his experience being on the original commission that founded the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), how NOAA was named, and his work growing oysters on land first in Hawaii and now in Brunswick.

Galen Koch Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute
Avery Waterman Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

Avery Waterman, a 20-year-old lobsterman from North Haven, ME, speaks about where he predominantly fishes for lobster while highlighting the changes he has noticed since he began lobster fishing, his current concerns of the impacts of government decisions related to the lobster fishery, and the reality of commercial fishing in North Haven.

Natalie Springuel, Kaitlyn Clark, Galen Koch Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute
John Peabody Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

John Peabody is an offshore lobsterman, although he maintains licenses for many species, out of Point Judith, RI. He is an owner/operator of a boat that goes out on multi-day fishing trips. He focuses heavily on the importance of fishing for a diversity of species and his frustration with there being too many regulations and too much paperwork to maintain each permit. He also speaks about his satisfaction in proving scientists wrong when they are not willing to listen to fishermen’s observations.

Galen Koch, Kaitlyn Clark Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute
Anson Kelley Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

Tyler Childers and Anson Kelley, lobstermen and high school students enrolled in the Eastern Maine Skippers Program in Jonesport, ME, are old friends who speak about their experiences in the Eastern Maine Skippers Program, their current work trying to improve bait quality and pricing, their current fishing locations, and the locations they plan to fish in the future.

Natalie Springuel, Kaitlyn Clark Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute