Tyler Childers and Anson Kelley, lobstermen and high school students enrolled in the Eastern Maine Skippers Program in Jonesport, ME, are old friends who speak about their experiences in the Eastern Maine Skippers Program, their current work trying to improve bait quality and pricing, their current fishing locations, and the locations they plan to fish in the future.

Avery Waterman, a 20-year-old lobsterman from North Haven, ME, speaks about where he predominantly fishes for lobster while highlighting the changes he has noticed since he began lobster fishing, his current concerns of the impacts of government decisions related to the lobster fishery, and the reality of commercial fishing in North Haven.

Bob Williams, a lobsterman, and his wife, Diane Williams, live in Stonington, ME and first met at the Fishermen’s Forum 38 years ago. They return every year for their anniversary. In the interview, they discuss the rising value of property in their area, their experiences living in coastal Maine, and the changes in the culture and economy of Stonington since the 70s such as the decline of jobs such as quarry work, ice chipping, and factory work.

Bobby Ingalls, a lobsterman from Bucks Harbor, ME, speaks about the lobster and scallop fishing in his area and tells humorous stories about some of the trouble his fishermen friends and family have been in. Focusing on the changes in his community, Ingalls describes the impacts of come-from-aways, fishing in the 70s, and the competitive side of offshore fishing.

Brenda Thomas, a former schooner boat captain from Rockland, ME, sails traditionally on national historic landmark schooners such as the S/V Isaac Evans. Thomas, as someone who has spent two decades on the water, speaks about her spectrum of positive and negative experiences of fishermen interacting with the boating communities.

Bruce Fernald, a lobsterman from Little Cranberry Island, ME, speaks about his concerns for the future of his island community and the Maine lobster industry. He emphasizes the importance of getting internet out to islands to provide other options for making a living. Fernald also talks about how none of the young people in his family want to fish and that six generations of lobster fishing will end with this generation.

Carl Schwab, a retired fisherman from Port Clyde, ME, who was not born into a fishing family, speaks about how he began to summer in Maine and work on fishing boats. He speaks about his experiences fishing for different species such as lobster, herring, and shrimp and the differences in his personal experience of fishing with his children’s growing up in this way of life.

Chris Bartlett, a marine extension associate with the University of Maine Sea Grant from Eastport, ME, whose work has focused on commercial fishing and aquaculture, speaks about the economic and social changes in Eastport during his time there. He describes the old method of locating fishing spots by using multiple landmarks for triangulation, the impact of changing technologies on the fishery, and his work with the Ocean Renewable Power Company to assess the environmental impacts of tidal power and communicate effectively with the local communities.

Chellie Pingree, a United States congresswoman from North Haven, ME, whose work focuses on fisheries policy issues, speaks about her work speaking to local lobstermen and how this year’s conversations have focused on concerns about the future of the fisheries with warming temperatures. She describes her own concerns for the future of her island community and the values and necessities of island life.

Dan Harriman is a fisherman who operates the state’s last mackerel weir in Cape Elizabeth, ME. His family came to the US from Denmark in the 1980s. He speaks about his experience fishing and discusses the issues he sees in the fishing industry such as unsustainability and lack of access. He believes these challenges stem from knowledge not being passed between generations and suggests that change needs to come from the bottom up.