Jon Broderick is a seasoned fisherman and a retired school teacher, born in San Francisco, California. Despite coming from a family with no ties to the fishing industry, Broderick found his calling in the waters of Alaska. He has been setting nets for salmon in Bristol Bay, Alaska with his family for over 25 years. His sons, despite their diverse career paths, have embraced the tradition and often join him in the fishing season. Broderick is also known for his participation in the Astoria Fisherpoets Gathering.

Jon Campbell discusses life growing up in a fishing community.

Kaare Ness, a Norwegian immigrant, was born in Norway and moved to the United States in 1955. He initially settled in New Bedford/Fairhaven area and lived there for thirteen years. In 1968, Ness relocated to Alaska and then moved to Seattle in 1969. He owned a seafood processing and distributing company in Seattle, focusing on scallops and later transitioning to the king crab fishery. Ness had a family history in fishing, with his father and uncle having connections to the industry. He built boats for king crab fishing and continued in that line of work until his retirement.

Jennifer Mitchell, also known as Jennifer Demalo, is part of the Mitchell family business. She grew up in New Bedford and attended Bishop Stang High School before graduating from Emmanuel College. Initially working as a business manager at a preschool in Boston, Jennifer joined the family business after her father asked her to work with him. She has been involved in bookkeeping and similar administrative tasks. Jennifer has been with the business for around eight years and is married with two children.

Karen Willis Amspacher is a dedicated advocate for the working waterfront community of Harker’s Island, North Carolina, where she was born and raised. She is the founder of the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center, an institution that celebrates and preserves the local traditions of boat building and decoy carving. Amspacher's family has a long history in boat building, and she has worked tirelessly to support and develop new markets for local seafood. She is also actively involved in addressing the challenges of gentrification and regulations that impact her community.

Ms. Reed operated a bed and breakfast in Fairhaven, MA for many years. She tells the story about visiting the New Bedford fish auction which used to take place in the Wharfinger Building on Pier 3.

Kevin Curole is a seasoned fisherman with a career spanning 37 years in the shrimp industry. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Curole grew up in Baie L'Fuje, Guiana, and is of Cajun ethnicity. His family has a long history in the fishing industry, with both his father and grandfathers being shrimp fishermen. Curole started his journey in the industry at the tender age of three, living on a 22-foot shrimp boat with his grandparents. In addition to his fishing career, Curole has also worked as a support boat driver for the offshore oil industry in Louisiana.

Kevin Dawson is a settlement house owner and has a background in the fishing industry. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and his parents emigrated from Newfoundland. His father used to run trawlers out of the Fulton Fish Market in New York but moved to Fairhaven, Massachusetts, when Dawson was ten due to the convenience of the freezer trucks coming from New Bedford. Dawson started working on boats at a young age, painting and performing various tasks.

Reidar and Kirsten Bendiksen are a Norwegian couple residing in New Bedford, involved in the gear business, specifically net making and mending. Reidar was born in Norway in 1946 and moved to the United States when he was sixteen. His father was a fisherman who migrated to the US in 1951. Reidar himself held various positions in the fishing industry, including skipper, before transitioning into the gear business. Kirsten, born in New Bedford and raised in Dartmouth, comes from a family with a fishing background. Her father was a fisherman who met her mother on an ocean liner.

Kristin Decas served as the Executive Director of the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission (NBHDC). However, please note that there may have been changes in personnel or positions since then. Kristin Decas is an experienced executive in the maritime industry with a background in port management and economic development. She has held leadership positions in several ports across the United States and has been recognized for her contributions to the maritime sector.