NOAA Fisheries

Interviewee Collection Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Elizabeth Kordowski Oral Histories from the New England Fisheries

Elizabeth is currently working at a Port Agent in Point Judith, Rhode Island. She speaks about her involvement in the fishery from working as a sternman to her current position.

Project Leaders: Lisa L. Colburn and Kate E. Yentes
Date Collection Completed: On going
Location: www.voices.nmfs.noaa.gov
Geographic Location: Locations across New England

 Lisa Colburn , Azure Dee Westwood Narragansett, RI NOAA Fisheries
Ellen Schomer Oral Histories from the New England Fisheries

Ellen is a former fisherman. She speaks about what it was like being a woman in the fishing industry.

Project Leaders: Lisa L. Colburn and Kate E. Yentes
Date Collection Completed: On going
Location: www.voices.nmfs.noaa.gov
Geographic Location: Locations across New England

 Lisa Colburn South Kingstown, RI NOAA Fisheries
Esther Ilutsik Women in Alaska Fisheries

Esther Ilutsik is the Director for Yup’ik Studies for the Southwest Region Schools in Dillingham, Alaska. She learned to set net fish as a child and commercial fished throughout her life at her family’s fish camp in Ekuk. In this interview Esther recounts her experiences of fishing with her mother and the social and environmental changes she has observed in Ekuk.

 Anna Lavoie, Jean Lee, Christopher Maines Dillingham, AK Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Fisheries Science Center , Bristol Bay Native Association , NOAA Preserve America Initiative
Gayla Hoseth Women in Alaska Fisheries

Gayla Hoseth is Director of the Natural Resources Program at Bristol Bay Native Association and currently serves as the Second Chief to the Curying Tribal Council. She spent summers during her childhood putting up fish with her grandmother in Bristol Bay. In this interview Gayla talks about learning to set net fish for salmon with her grandmother and carrying on these practices with her sisters and younger generations of her family. She also discusses the importance of fighting to protect and maintain the traditional Native way of life.

 Kim Sparks , Anna Lavoie, Jean Lee, Kitty Sopow, Sean Day Dillingham, AK Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Fisheries Science Center , Bristol Bay Native Association , NOAA Preserve America Initiative
Gene Huntsman NOAA Beaufort Lab Oral Histories
  • Received his Ph.D. from Iowa State University in 1965
  • Did post-doctoral work at the University of Miami 1966-1967
  • Employed at the Beaufort Laboratory in 1967, initially with the Menhaden Program
  • Established the Reef Fish Program at the Beaufort Laboratory in the early 1970s, studying life histories of the snapper-grouper complex of fishes along the U.S.
 Joseph W. Smith, Don Hoss, Douglas Vaughan Beaufort, NC NOAA Fisheries
George Harris Oral Histories from the New England Fisheries

George speaks about what it is like being a commercial fisherman and also having a summer tourist business to supplement his income.

Project Leaders: Lisa L. Colburn and Kate E. Yentes
Date Collection Completed: On going
Location: www.voices.nmfs.noaa.gov
Geographic Location: Locations across New England

 Kate Yentes Eastport, ME NOAA Fisheries
Giuseppe Pennisi Commercial Fishermen in the California Halibut Trawl Fishery: Who does your local seafood come from?

Giuseppe Pennisi, a resident of San Francisco, is a seasoned fisherman with deep familial ties to the fishing industry. His lineage in the profession can be traced back to his grandfather, who was adept in the use of Paranzella nets for the capture of halibut and flatfish. Pennisi's formative years were spent on fishing boats, where he gained firsthand experience in the trade. Over the years, he has observed a transformation within the fishing sector, marked by a downturn in local fish processing businesses.

 Kristine Lesyna, Susan Wang San Francisco, CA NOAA Fisheries, California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Hannah Cinnemantaro Accompanied At Sea: Voices from the Northeast Fisheries Observer Program

Hannah Cinnemantaro is a marine observer with a rich family history in the marine industry. Born and raised in Ipswich, Massachusetts, Hannah grew up close to the ocean, influenced by her parents, who both worked in the marine industry. Her mother worked on a Whale Watch since she was pregnant with Hannah, and her father worked on another Whale Watch boat and in the marine industry with oil riggers. Hannah's love for the ocean led her to an internship on a whale watch out of Gloucester, Massachusetts, where she collected quantitative and qualitative data on humpbacks on Stellwagen Bank.

 Sara Weeks Falmouth, MA NOAA Fisheries
Herb Prythrech NOAA Beaufort Lab Oral Histories
  • Born in Beaufort, NC; raised on Pivers Island (site of the Beaufort Laboratory)
  • Herb’s father, Dr. Herbert Prythrech, was Director of the Beaufort Laboratory, 1933-1949
  • Graduated from East Carolina University and also served in the US Army
  • Worked for the NMFS, formerly the U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, as a port agent and fishery reporting specialist in TX, SC, GA, and Miami; retired from NMFS in 1994
 Joseph W. Smith, Don Hoss, Ford Cross, Douglas Vaughan Beaufort, NC NOAA Fisheries
Howard Gordon Oral Histories from the New England Fisheries

Howard is a meat cutter who went fishing with his father. He explains what is was like not being able to take over his father's fishing business.

Project Leaders: Lisa L. Colburn and Kate E. Yentes
Date Collection Completed: On going
Location: www.voices.nmfs.noaa.gov
Geographic Location: Locations across New England

 Kate Yentes Sullivan, ME NOAA Fisheries
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