John Cox, is a clam manager in Jonesboro, ME.

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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.

John Mitchell, Joey Evangelista, Jamie Campbell, and Steven Kenney are high school students from Mount Desert Island, ME, who were part of the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries’ Eastern Maine Skippers Program as well as commercial fishermen of their own.

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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.

Krista Tripp, a lobsterman from Spruce Head, ME, speaks about her childhood experiences fishing, going through the lobster apprenticeship program, and how her grandfather supported her desire to become a lobsterman. She addresses the realities of being a new, late, and female fisherman in this area and expresses her excitement at seeing more women on the water.

Kyle Pepperman, a marine biologist at the Downeast Institute (DEI) in Jonesboro, ME. He specializes in shellfish cultivation, with a focus on growing blue mussels and clams. With expertise in hatchery techniques, he explores innovative approaches to improve clam management practices and promote sustainable aquaculture in Eastern Maine.

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Leif Albertson is an IT project manager residing in Phippsburg, Maine. His family has a deep-rooted history in commercial fishing in Maine, which influenced his decision to relocate his family to Maine. Albertson is an avid recreational fisherman and owns a fishing boat, which was a gift from his father. He is involved in recreational lobster fishing and holds a commercial license for tuna fishing. Albertson's family members, including cousins, are involved in lobster and shrimp fishing.

Marc Hoffman is a business owner, author, and advocate for fisheries management. As the owner of M. K. Hoffman Services, he specializes in selling automotive mechanical lubricants and additives aimed at improving fuel efficiency. With his book Shell Game, Hoffman alleges that the high 2008 oil prices were caused by actions of investment banks rather than the mortgage collapse. Additionally, he actively participates in fisheries management as a member of the Atlantic States Fisheries Commission Advisory Panel. 

Marcia Beal Brazer, from Ogunquit, ME, shares a personal story about her husband Norman Brazer, a lobsterman, who got tangled in a lobster buoy rope and fell overboard while fishing near Boon Island, ME. N. Brazer was lucky that he was carrying a knife and was able to untangle himself; however, when he surfaced, he could not find his boat. Luckily, another lobsterman, Mark Sewell, noticed N. Brazer’s body floating and took him to the hospital. After three rounds of CPR, N. Brazer finally responded. He is still a lobsterman. M.

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. She talks about her experiences working on a whale watch, living in Canada, and working intensely with people as well as how her experiences have driven her interest in science and given her an understanding of how multifaceted situations can be.