Portland Fish Exchange lumper Fred Viola talks about his career lumping fish in Portland and changes in the fishing industry.

This interview was produced with funding from the Maine Humanities Council.

Interview with Brian Bichrest of Harpswell, Maine.  Mr. Bichrest is a gill net fisherman of the Maine Coast Community Sector. In this interview, he shares his recollections of growing up in Harpswell and observations from his experience on the water.

This interview was produced with funding from the Maine Humanities Council.

Bruce Fernald, a lobsterman from Little Cranberry Island, ME, speaks about his concerns for the future of his island community and the Maine lobster industry. He emphasizes the importance of getting internet out to islands to provide other options for making a living. Fernald also talks about how none of the young people in his family want to fish and that six generations of lobster fishing will end with this generation.

Marina Cucuzza, a marine researcher from Boston, MA, is currently working on her thesis which assesses the capacity for sustainability in coastal communities. She discusses buzz words such as resilience and sustainability which she finds important to define and what she has come across in her projects so far.

Carl Schwab, a retired fisherman from Port Clyde, ME, who was not born into a fishing family, speaks about how he began to summer in Maine and work on fishing boats. He speaks about his experiences fishing for different species such as lobster, herring, and shrimp and the differences in his personal experience of fishing with his children’s growing up in this way of life.

Merritt Carey, from Tennent’s Harbor, ME, grew up summering in Maine and is now a key member of the Maine Aquaculture Co-op. In this interview, she recounts her experiences working Maine, including delivering lobster, being a crew member in the second all-female crew to participate in an around-the-world sailing race, and buying a wharf and forming the Maine Aquaculture Co-op. Her goal is to make sure that aquaculture money stays at the shore.

Chellie Pingree, a United States congresswoman from North Haven, ME, whose work focuses on fisheries policy issues, speaks about her work speaking to local lobstermen and how this year’s conversations have focused on concerns about the future of the fisheries with warming temperatures. She describes her own concerns for the future of her island community and the values and necessities of island life.

Micah Woodcock, a wild seaweed harvester from Stonington, ME, speaks about the reality of the practical, personal, and community sides of harvesting wild seaweed. He discusses his experiences in Maine and his opinions of the future of the seaweed industry and the people influenced by this business.

Chris Bartlett, a marine extension associate with the University of Maine Sea Grant from Eastport, ME, whose work has focused on commercial fishing and aquaculture, speaks about the economic and social changes in Eastport during his time there.

Patrick Shepard works for the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries and was born in Stonington, ME. He talks about his experiences growing up in a fishing family and lobstering with his brother from a very young age. He also speaks about the changes he sees in his hometown and what the future of fishing in Maine might hold, particularly in finding ways to make more money from a smaller amount of high quality product.