Mr. Edmond Anthony Boudreaux Jr. was born in 1949 to Edmond Boudreaux Sr. and Nita Mae Thomas Boudreaux. He is the third of eight children. He is married to Virginia L. Bertucci Boudreaux, and they have three sons, Edmond Boudreaux III, Brandon Boudreaux, and Marcus Boudreaux. Boudreaux is a 1967 graduate of Notre Dame High School in Biloxi, Mississippi. He was an AT&T service technician from 1973 until 2010, when he retired. At the time of this interview he is the administrative vice president of the Mississippi Coast Historical and Genealogical Society; past president of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Mississippi Archaeological Association; an acquisition committee member of the Ohr/O’Keefe Museum of Art; an advisory board member of the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum; a member of the Community Advisory Committee Mississippi State Historical Museum; and a French colonial reenactor since 1992. He is a writer of the Time Traveler article for the Biloxi/D’Iberville Press newspaper. He was awarded the Calvin Brown Award and the Mississippi Governor Commendation for archaeology in 1992. He was the City of Biloxi’s Historian of the Year in 1992. On October 27, 2011, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History presented him with a Resolution of Commendation for his leadership in historical causes, his work in support of Mississippi Department of Archives and History programs, and his scholarship on the history of the Gulf Coast. In August of 2011, his book The Seafood Capital of the World: Biloxi’s Maritime History was published by The History Press of Charleston, South Carolina

Scope and Content Note
October 28, 2011: This interview with Edmond Anthony Boudreaux Jr., conducted by Stephanie Scull-DeArmey for the University of Southern Mississippi Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage, provides a comprehensive insight into the history, culture, and challenges of the seafood industry on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Boudreaux discusses the significance of the seafood industry to the people and culture of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, highlighting the traditional practices such as cooning oysters by hand and the use of specific vessels like the Lafitte skiff or plat bateau. The interview also delves into the changes in fishing and regulations on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, including the impact of overfishing and sustainability issues. Boudreaux provides a detailed account of the changes in the Mississippi Sound and the Gulf of Mexico, discussing the effects of natural disasters like Hurricane Camille in 1969 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, as well as the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. Boudreaux also discusses the resilience of the Mississippi Gulf Coastians in the face of these challenges and the current status of the Gulf Coast economy. He shares his thoughts on the appearance of Mississippi Sound waters and the health of Gulf Coast fisheries. The interview is supplemented with photographs of various tools and vessels used in the seafood industry, such as a hundred-year-old skiff, anchors, boatbuilding tools, and a cypress-tree dugout canoe or pirogue. In conclusion, this interview provides a rich and detailed account of the seafood industry on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, its history, its cultural significance, and the challenges it faces.

November 4, 2011: This interview provides an in-depth exploration of the various environmental and economic impacts on the Mississippi Sound and its surrounding barrier islands. The discussion begins with an examination of the effects of hurricanes, particularly Hurricane Katrina, on the local ecosystem and the seafood industry. The interviewee highlights the challenges faced in managing oyster beds in the aftermath of such natural disasters. The conversation then shifts to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, discussing its profound impact on the seafood industry in Mississippi. The interviewee elaborates on the domino effect this disaster had on shrimpers, factory owners, and the overall economy. The long-term effects of the oil spill on the Gulf and its seafood remain uncertain. The potential disappearance of the barrier islands, leading to further erosion and loss of coastline, is also discussed. The interviewee also addresses the impact of climate change on the coastline and dispels the misconception that the area's beaches are man-made. They express mixed emotions about the oil spill and emphasize the need to understand its long-term effects. The resilience of the Gulf Coast and the importance of the ocean to the local community are also discussed, along with changes in the water's clarity and color post-Hurricane Katrina and the oil spill. In the latter part of the interview, Boudreaux discusses the presence of oil in the Mississippi Sound post-spill, the health of the fisheries, and the impact of the Vessels of Opportunity program. He shares his thoughts on the future of the Gulf Coast seafood industry and the need for government regulation and oversight. Boudreaux advocates for oil drilling in the Gulf, but also stresses the importance of exploring alternative energy sources. He underscores the need for stricter management and safety measures in the oil industry.