On March 10, 2016, Dr. Jolvan Morris interviewed Ernest McIntosh Sr. as part of the Georgia Black Fishermen oral history project. Ernest and his four brothers were born into a crabbing family, surrounded by 2,700 acres of coastal saltwater wildlife refuge in Harris Neck, Georgia—30 miles south of Savannah, in McIntosh County. Although his brothers immediately pursued crabbing with their father, Ernest worked as a construction laborer until he was laid off in 1978.

Fred Mattera is a recently retired commercial fisherman out of Point Judith, Rhode Island. He belonged to sector 5 before retiring and is currently functioning as a liaison between sector 5 fishermen and the out-of-state sector manager. Most recently, Mr. Mattera predominantly fished both inshore and offshore squid, but has also groundfished in the past which is why he's in sector 5. He is very active in the fisheries community. He has a generally positive outlook on sector management but believes the key to success in sectors is to have more fish available to everyone.

On August 17, 2009, Cathay Sakas interviewed George Walker as part of the Georgia Black Fishermen oral history project.  George was born in 1946 on Sapelo Island, Georgia—a small Gullah Geechee community founded on the fourth largest barrier island in the 1700s, 60 miles south of Savannah, in McIntosh County.  George was an experienced shrimper during the 1960s, prior to working as a licensed captain aboard research vessels at the University of Georgia’s Marine Institute.  As a shrimper, Mr.  Walker remembers the decreasing shrimp prices and increasing fuel prices

On November 24, 2014, Dr.  Jolvan Morris interviewed Commissioner Lotson Griffin as part of the Georgia Black Fishermen oral history project.  Commissioner Lotson, a Gullah Geechee cultural leader and federal commissioner, discusses his involvement in shrimp heading and the broader shrimping industry, tracing his family’s connections and the socio-economic roles of Gullah Geechee men and women in the community.

Gus Lovgren, 33 years old at the time of the interview, is a captain and crewmember on the F/V Kailey Ann in Point Pleasant, NJ. Gus is the fourth generation in his family to fish East Coast waters, but maybe not the last: his five-year-old daughter has dreams of carrying on the family legacy, someday.

Scope and Content Note

Henry McCarthy, 47, operates a fishing vessel out of Scituate, Massachusetts. He fished for 25 years, most recently cod and haddock, but left fishing 2 years ago due to a low allocation that made running a business for profit infeasible. Mr. McCarthy remains an inactive sector member and is still active in the fishing community on the board of directors of sector 10 and at the permit bank. Mr. McCarthy has a negative view of sector management and would replace it with Days at Sea and a rolling clock, given the opportunity.

Dr.

Hilary Dombrowski, 64, is a commercial fisherman out of Gloucester, Massachusetts. He began fishing around age 10, progressively buying and operating larger boats. He now jigs for cod and tub trawls for haddock, in the inshore. He is a member of the common pool because quota allocations were assigned based on years during which there were a great deal of regulations, thus limiting catch for many in the region. As a small fisherman, there is no real avenue for him to get into a sector, as it is quite expensive.

Ian Parente, 30, is a commercial fisherman out of Sakonnet Point, RI. He is a second generation commercial fisherman who has fished his whole life and bought his own vessel out of high school; he also has 2 brothers that fish. Mr. Parente now fishes mostly for groundfish offshore on his commonpool boat; his other boat does not have a groundfish permit and mostly monkfishes. He feels that sector management is not a bad idea in theory, but that it has been poorly implemented, largely as a result of allocation issues.

Jake Eaton, 26 years old at the time of the interview, works as his father-in-law's sternman on the F/V Last Penny and operator of a lobster skiff, the F/V Eyesore in Portsmouth, NH. He comes from a long line of fishing families in Downeast Maine, and he finds it fulfilling to continue the family tradition. He grew up in Seacoast New Hampshire and went to high school in Dover. His father and grandfather were involved in fishing, with his grandfather being a lobsterman.