Interview with net fishermen Billy Praker and James "JB" Milina, from Galveston, Texas

On February 1, 1988, Robert Fritchey interviewed Claude McCall in Leeville, Louisiana. McCall, who relocated from Florida to Louisiana in 1971, has a diverse background that includes work in electronics and commercial fishing. His experience spans decades, transitioning from guiding and fishing in Florida’s Tampa Bay area to fishing in Louisiana’s coastal waters. In the interview, McCall discusses his early years in Florida, where he observed the ecological impacts of dredging and coastal development, which led to habitat degradation and declines in fish populations.

On August 1, 1990, Robert Fritchey interviewed Frank and Stanley Rando in Bucktown, Louisiana, for an oral history documenting their experiences in local fishing industries. Frank Rando, a lifelong fisherman, began his career in 1936 after finishing grammar school. He worked alongside his father, nicknamed “Sheepshead Frank,” who was known for his innovative sheepshead fishing techniques using a pirogue and pole. Stanley Rando, younger than Frank, contributes insights into later industry practices and environmental changes.

On January 1, 1988, Robert Fritchey interviewed Houston Serigny, a lifelong resident of coastal Louisiana. He discusses his experiences as a commercial fisherman, trapper, and community member. Born into a family deeply connected to the waterways and fisheries of the region, Serigny provides a vivid account of his life and work, including his family’s history of fishing, trapping, and navigating environmental and economic changes.

Life-long fisherman Roy Lee was born and raised in the Everglades around Everglades City. As that region was engulfed by the National Park in the 1970s, he relocated to South Louisiana where he fished for red drum, spotted seatrout, pompano, black drum, etc. Most winters he returned to Marathon, Florida, to stab net for mangrove snapper, and used a runaround gill net to harvest bluefish and Spanish mackerel. Interview was conducted in Leeville, Louisiana, in September 1992.