Antonio Perreira also known as "Tony the Plumber," has worked as a full-time pipe fitter on the waterfront since 1976. He was born in Portugal on May 22, 1942, where  he learned is trade through a traditional apprenticeship after working as a pinner in a textile mill and as a construction worker and laborer. He immigrated to the United States in 1956, settling in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He became a skilled plumber, specializing in marine plumbing for fishing vessels.

Deb Shrader is a passionate advocate for fishermen and their families, dedicated to ensuring their rights and the sustainability of ocean resources. Despite having no family background in fishing, she married Ron Shrader, a fisherman and captain, which ignited her interest in the fishing industry and its challenges. She became a driving force behind Shore Support, an advocacy group she founded to bridge the gap between fishermen and regulatory processes.

Woody Bowers is a former fisherman and captain who fished for 17 years and then went on occasional fishing trips. Woody Bowers used to fish for codfish, haddock, flounders, and yellow tails, among other species, and the boat he worked on could carry up to two hundred thousand pounds of fish. The boat mostly fished on Georges Bank, where Bowers looked for the species of fish he wanted based on his past experience.

Eugene Connors is a former commercial fisherman and fishery researcher who worked in the industry from 1960 to 1981. He was involved in scalloping and dragging in New Bedford, having originally come from a small fishing community in Stonington, CT. After his fishing career, Connors worked for the New England Fishery Development Foundation as the vessel site coordinator for a project called "Quality at Sea," which aimed to improve the quality of seafood being landed in New England ports by applying Scandinavian methods of handling product at sea.

Jim Dwyer and Paul Swain are seasoned veterans of the fishing industry, residing in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Their extensive experience and deep knowledge of the industry, its history, and its community make them valuable sources of information. 

Ann Jardin-Maynard works in the settlement business within the fishing industry. Born in New Bedford in 1962 to European American parents of Azorean descent, she grew up in a community rich in Portuguese heritage, particularly in the south end of New Bedford. After completing her college education, she became involved in the fishing industry by taking an accounting job at Kevin Dawson's firm in 1985. She eventually became a partner in the business in 1988. Her work involves various aspects of financial management for boat owners and their corporations.

Dave Martins is a 35-year-old fisheries technician at SMAST (School for Marine Science and Technology) based in New Bedford. He was born on October 22, 1971, at Saint Annes Hospital in Fall River, Massachusetts, to Azorean/Portuguese parents who immigrated from the island of Saint Michael in the Azores, Portugal. Despite his family not being directly involved in fishing, it was a significant part of their life, both for recreation and home consumption.

Susan Petersen is an anthropologist who has dedicated a significant portion of her career to studying the fishing industry in Massachusetts. She moved to the state in 1973, shortly after earning her PhD from the University of Hawaii. Petersen began her research at the Woods Hole Oceanographic, where she sought to understand the structure of the fishing industry, including boat ownership, financial structures, and the impact of fish stocks on the industry's health.

Shawn Sipple is a former fisherman and past winner of the scallop-shucking contest. He was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and attended New Bedford High School. Shawn got into fishing because his father, an ex-commercial fisherman, was tragically burned in a boat fire and could no longer fish. Despite the dangers of the profession, Shawn started fishing at the age of 17 after completing high school. He learned the tricks of the trade from Peter Kilshaw, the owner of Northern Edge, who mentored him. Shawn's father also owned the National Social Club in New Bedford.

Henry Allerdt was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1943 and moved to the New Bedford area when he was seven or eight years old. He attended Fairhaven High School and spent his summers fishing with his father, who was a fisherman during the Depression. He fished with his father on a small dragger, a sixty-five-foot boat, and also fished independently for extra money while in school. After high school, he continued working in the fishing industry, learning different methods from various people in the fleet.