James Reilly, 33 years old at the time of the interview, is a captain of a clam vessel based out of Oceanside, NY and Atlantic City, NJ. James grew up on Long Island as the son of a fisherman, and despite discouragement from his mother, he wound up working as crew for his father and then taking over his father's captain job when his father retired. He operates the fishing vessel Ocean Girl, targeting surf clams and ocean quahogs with hydraulic dredges. 

Shawn Goulart, 35 years old at the time of the interview, is a captain and deckhand based in Gloucester, MA. Shawn got into recreational fishing as a hobby in his early teens, and then quickly transitioned to commercial fishing, at a time when opportunities were plentiful in Gloucester. Since that time, he has seen the local groundfish fleet shrink, forcing him to spend months away each year fishing out of other East Coast ports to support his two young daughters.

Jared Bennett, 29 years old at the time of the interview, is owner-operator of the F/V White Cap, a gillnet vessel, with his younger brother and a friend, going on 36-hour fishing trips targeting monkfish, skates, and dogfish out of Chatham and Harwichport, MA. Jared bought his gillnet license and started fishing without any prior experience as a deckhand. 

Stephanie Hryzan, 35 years old at the time of the interview, is a deckhand on draggers in Point Judith, RI. Despite having a father in the industry, she did not grow up fishing and instead went to college before working in various sales jobs. However, she has always had a deep love of sea creatures, and after a year as a scallop observer, she decided in her early 30s to take part in the inaugural cohort of the Commercial Fisheries Center of RI's Commercial Fishing Apprenticeship Program. 

Joe Kowalsky, 31 years old at the time of the interview, is an oyster farmer and fishermen in Milford, Bridgeport, and Stratford, CT. He owns and operates multiple boats, including the Sea Skimmer, LeClair, Mohawk, and a Carolina skiff. Joe is primarily focused on oyster farming but also engages in wild fisheries for additional income. He found his way to fishing after putting aside societal notions that there is no money to be made on the water.

Tim Birarelli, Tom Birarelli, Robbie Budds (ages 21, 18, and 21 at the time of the interview) are lobstermen in Beverly, MA. Tim and Tom grew up lobstering with their father, who passed away when they were in their teens. They continued running and eventually expanding the family fishing businesses, and they supply fresh seafood to their mother's restaurant. Robbie met Tim through a hockey league while in high school, and the two brothers helped him get set up with a lobster boat and taught him everything they know.

Alex Brown, twenty years old at the time of the interview, describes his life as a deckhand in Point Judith, RI. With the encouragement of a fisherman uncle, Alex has been fishing since he was 11 and has worked on various fishing boats, including lobster boats and draggers. He now works on lobster boats and draggers in Point Judith.

Kelsey Aiken, 29 years old at the time of the interview, is a fisherman and co-manager (along with his brother) of a fish packing house in Hatteras, NC founded by his father. The company focuses mainly on gillnet fishing for flounder and sells a range of seafood caught in the Pamlico Sound and the ocean to a variety of markets, including New York's Fulton Fish Market, Boston, Canada, California, and local outlets.

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Tommy Testaverde, 34 years old at the time of the interview, is captain of his family's dragger, the F/V Midnight Sun, in Gloucester, MA.

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Andrew Arnett, 26 years old at the time of the interview, is a captain of Jonah crab and scallop boats in New Bedford, MA. He has been fishing since age 16 and running boats since age 22. As one of the youngest captains in the fleet, he sees himself as one of a select few who are keeping fishing heritage alive.

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