On February 8, 2024, Camden Hunt, Hillary Smith, and Jessica Bonilla interviewed Giulia Cardoso in Bar Harbor, Maine. Giulia Cardoso, born in Milan, Italy, in 1993, is a first-generation fisherman based in Bar Harbor. After studying geography and conducting marine research in Cuba and the Bahamas, she moved to Maine to pursue a master's degree at the College of the Atlantic, where she focused on human ecology and the local lobster industry. Cardoso has since become a full-time fisherman, participating in multiple fisheries including lobstering, scalloping, halibut fishing, and wild shellfish harvesting. She is also involved in aquaculture and is developing a green crab fishery as part of a Maine Sea Grant initiative.

In the interview, Cardoso discusses her transition from marine research to commercial fishing and the varied paths she has taken across Maine’s fisheries. She describes learning and participating in gear work, harvesting, and direct marketing of products such as lobster, scallops, halibut, oysters, mussels, Jonah crab, and green crab. She explains the challenges and benefits of direct sales and outlines the regulatory and market obstacles faced by small-scale and independent fishermen. She also reflects on the impact of gender and identity in the industry, describing both the cultural barriers and the role of women as creative and adaptive participants in fisheries. Cardoso addresses environmental changes observed on the water, including shifting lobster patterns, the appearance of green crabs, and warmer winters. She emphasizes the need for adaptive strategies and state support to ensure the sustainability and diversification of Maine’s working waterfront.