Sector Management in New England

  • Collection DOI:
    Principal Investigator:
    Lisa L. Colburn
  • This project documents fishery management related changes in individuals, households, and communities in New England.

Interviewee Collection Sort descending Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
James Keding Sector Management in New England

Jim Keding is a 42-year-old fisherman; he currently captains a commercial fishing vessel out of Plymouth, Massachusetts. This vessel, the Mystic, fishes inshore for groundfish and is in sector 10. Jim serves as the sector's Vice President. He began fishing at age 14, in 1987; he chose fishing simply because he lived near the Plymouth fishing docks, and his cousin was the only one who fished in his family. Prior to captaining the Mystic, he owned and operated his own vessels.

Samantha Sperry Plymouth, MA NOAA
Philip Ruhle Jr. Sector Management in New England

Phil Ruhle, 37, is a commercial fisherman out of Point Judith, Rhode Island. His grandfather began fishing in the 1950s; his father and uncles also fished and his children now fish with him on occasion. He fishes for a broad variety of fish using a dragger, catching predominantly groundfish inshore in recent years. He is a member of the Sustainable Harvest Sector and is on the Board of Directors; his father, along with other fishermen, began developing the Sustainable Harvest Sector even prior to 2010 when sectors were put in place throughout New England. Mr.

Azure Cygler Narragansett, RI NOAA
Judy Keding Sector Management in New England

Judy Keding, 49, is the wife of commercial fisherman Jim Keding, out of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Mrs. Keding does not come from a fishing background; her husband has been fishing since he was 17, before they met. Mr. Keding currently captains a dragger that he does not own, generally targeting inshore codfish. He has been a member of sector 10 since sector management began though he has had to sell his two vessels and leases his low quota; Mrs. Keding works as a substitute teacher to supplement income. Mrs.

Samantha Sperry Plymouth, MA NOAA
Angela Sanfilippo Sector Management in New England

Angela Sanfilippo, 62, lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts and serves as the President of Gloucester's Fishermen's Wives. Her husband was a commercial fisherman who lost his boat due to a fire and now works for on a charter boat because they knew it'd be too risky to re-invest in fishing; she does have a brother and other family members that are involved in sectors. Mrs. Sanfilippo works very hard to assist with commercial fisheries, whether through helping fishermen gain health insurance or by working in the permit bank.

Azure Cygler Gloucester, MA NOAA
Edward Barrett Sector Management in New England

Edward Barrett, 56, is a fisherman out of Plymouth, Massachusetts. He began fishing in high school, purchased his first boat in 1979, and has worked as an inshore mobile gear fisherman for the past 15 years. He has been a member of sector 10 since sector management began and serves as the President of Sector 10, as well as staying actively involved in the fisheries community. Mr. Barrett views sectors negatively, and especially views catch shares as significantly cost prohibitive for small boats. Since sectors began, Mr.

Samantha Sperry Brewer, ME NOAA
Jon Knight Sector Management in New England

Jon Knight, 52, is the owner of Superior Trawl, a fishing gear designer and builder, in Galilee/Point Judith, Rhode Island. He began as a commercial fisherman and was drawn to working with nets. He began working for various gear shops and attended the University of Rhode Island, receiving both a technical degree in fisheries and later a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He owns and operates Superior Trawl and is involved in cooperative research, in an effort to improve selectivity in fisheries.

Azure Cygler Narragansett, RI NOAA
Dan Shannon Sector Management in New England

Dan Shannon, 48, is a commercial fisherman out of Scituate, Massachusetts. He began fishing around age 15 and has had his own boat for 20 years. He currently fishes predominantly lobster on Stellwagen Bank and in Massachusetts Bay, but also catches codfish and haddock. He joined sector 10 because the common pool was not a viable option. Mr. Shannon believes that sector management is not the appropriate strategy and was implemented unfairly.

Angela Wilson Scituate, MA NOAA
Tim Barrett Sector Management in New England

Tim Barrett, 46, is a commercial fisherman out of Plymouth, MA. Mr. Barrett grew up on the water, fishing with his brother when he was a boy and through college. He then got into the fishing industry in the early 80?s after attending the University of Rhode Island for some undergraduate work in Marine Fisheries and Technology. In the past 10 years, he has fished groundfish inshore. He is currently an inactive member of sector 10, though he was in the common pool until last year. Mr. Barrett does not think that sector management is a good option for fisheries management.

Samantha Sperry Plymouth, MA NOAA
Marie Ligenza Sector Management in New England

Marie (Riena) Ligenza, 58, is married to commercial fisherman Ted Ligenza, who fishes out of Chatham, MA. They have three sons that are also commercial fishermen, though she is not from a fishing family herself. Her husband and sons all fish mainly inshore, her husband for fish and her sons for shellfish. Mrs. Ligenza tries to separate herself from the intricacies of fishing, beyond it supporting her family and her doing finances for her husband's fishing.

Azure Cygler Chatham, MA NOAA
Christine Sherman Sector Management in New England

Christine Sherman, 60, lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts and is married to a commercial fisherman that is a member of Sector 2. Mrs. Sherman also works for the Northeast Seafood Coalition, an industry advocacy group based in Gloucester and is primarily in charge of fundraising for the group. Mrs. Sherman has felt a huge impact from sectors and feels there is only a few years left for a viable, small boat commercial fishery in Gloucester. She has seen the impacts in her own family and life, having experienced physical and mental issues related to financial stress in an uncertain industry.

Azure Cygler Gloucester, MA NOAA