Michael Combs of Freeport is a part time bayman and bay house owner. In this interview folklorist Nancy Solomon of Long Island Traditions examines how the bay has changed after Superstorm Sandy, Michael's experiences on the bay, how the bay has changed after the storm and other family history including rum running, market and duck hunting, eeling and other fishing activities.

Edward (Lowell) Ockers is a lifelong resident of West Sayville. Lowell was born and raised in the area and started working on the bay after returning from the Navy in 1957. He began his career by catching eels using traps purchased from his father, a bayman. In addition to his fishing endeavors, Lowell engaged in other activities to support himself. During the winter, he found work bulkheading, cutting ice, and digging clams to earn some grocery money. He also participated in scalloping, crabbing, and even sailing on the ice when the bay froze over.

Lenny Nilson, born in Bay Shore in 1947, is a seasoned fisherman who spent his formative years on West Island, West Fire Island, where his father ran a live shrimp and killie business. Lenny comes from a long line of fishermen, with his family having emigrated from Sweden in 1929, bringing with them centuries of commercial fishing heritage. At the age of 16, Lenny started working on the bay, assisting his father in the fishing endeavors. Lenny earned a degree in Marine Biology from Suffolk Community College after serving in Vietnam.

Lenny and Danny Koch hail from a family deeply rooted in the fishing industry. Their relatives were fishermen, and their father transitioned to working for an oil company, running yachts along the coast. Growing up in Baldwin, New York, Lenny and Danny were surrounded by their grandparents and great-grandparents, who also had ties to the fishing tradition. Their grandfather operated charter and party boats, establishing a family legacy spanning over six decades. Lenny and Danny's maternal grandparents originated from Ukraine, although they did not have a background in net making.

Ken Mades of Hampton Bays explores his life as a bayman and environmental changes in the bays and waters of Southampton and Hampton Bays.

Bayman Jon Semlear is a pound trap fisherman and bass fisherman in Sag Harbor. In this short interview he shares his knowledge of the bay, ecological changes, and close calls he's had on the water.

Bayman Jon Semlear is a pound trap fisherman and bass fisherman in Sag Harbor. In this short interview he shares his knowledge of the bay, ecological changes, and close calls he's had on the water.

John Remsen, Sr. is a skilled boat builder who has dedicated his life to constructing garveys and other types of boats. During his lifetime, John has built approximately 100 garveys at an average rate of 5 per year. Throughout his career, John Remsen Sr. built boats for various individuals, including fishers such as Fred and Dott Verity, Elwood Verity, Jacki, the Millers, and clammers like Billy in Oceanside, among others.

John Remsen Sr. is a seasoned bayman and fisherman who was born in Freeport in 1933. Coming from a lineage of fishermen, with both his father and grandfather being involved in the trade, John developed a deep connection to the ocean from an early age. He assisted his great grandfather, Alanson Ellison, in haul-seining on the ocean before it was outlawed in 1942. At the age of 12, John began selling clams to local families, starting with a rowboat and eventually upgrading to a motorboat.

Retired bayman and boat builder John Remsen shares his memories of storms and hurricanes including Superstorm Sandy in 2012.