Ernest McIntosh Sr. 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. He returned to the waters of his childhood and began commercially harvesting blue crab on the five boats owned by his family. After seeing no long-term future in the crabbing industry from environmental and environmental changes, Mr.

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.

George Walker 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. That was a popular year for births on the island, following World War II and a busy year for the only midwife on the island. Mr. Walker was unable to complete high school, which would have been helpful during his pursuit of his captain’s license. Mr.

Commissioner Griffin Lotson reflects on his experience with the shrimp industry in Darien, Georgia. He discusses the role of fishing in the Gullah Geechee community in terms of making a living, ethnic identity, and culture.

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.

Herman Haynes, better known as “Hanif,” grew up watching the daily ebb and flood of the Moon River behind his family’s property in Pin Point, Georgia—a small Gullah Geechee community founded in 1896 eleven miles southeast of Savannah, in Chatham County. The river played a pivotal role in Hanif’s life, as it was where he was baptized as a member of the Sweetfield of Eden Baptist Church and where he swam each summer with his friends. At the insistence of his family, Hanif pursued his education and employment outside of the crab industry.

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.