Azure Cygler

Interviewee Collection Sort descending Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
John Curzake Sector Management in New England

John Curzake, 48, is a commercial fisherman out of Point Judith, Rhode Island. He has been fishing since high school on a swordfishing boat with his in-laws; though his immediate family didn?t fish commercially, his father and brother occasionally go commercial lobstering. He fishes for skates and some groundfish, mostly inshore. He became a member of sector 13 to avoid gear restrictions placed on individuals in the common pool. Mr. Curzake does not like sector management and would prefer to return to Days-at-Sea, with at least 50 days per vessel per year.

Azure Cygler Narragansett, RI NOAA
Angela Sanfilippo Sector Management in New England

Angela Sanfilippo, 62, lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts and serves as the President of Gloucester's Fishermen's Wives. Her husband was a commercial fisherman who lost his boat due to a fire and now works for on a charter boat because they knew it'd be too risky to re-invest in fishing; she does have a brother and other family members that are involved in sectors. Mrs. Sanfilippo works very hard to assist with commercial fisheries, whether through helping fishermen gain health insurance or by working in the permit bank.

Azure Cygler Gloucester, MA NOAA
Karl Cygler Sector Management in New England

Karl Cygler, 36, owns a company which provides fisheries observers to commercial fishing vessels, including sector and commonpool boats. Mr. Cygler used to be an observer as well and his father was a commercial fisherman in the 1980?s. Mr.Cygler has seen changes in observer coverage since sectors started and his staff mentioned there is more tension and frustration on the part of the fishing industry in having to carry observers at a higher rate than before sectors. Mr.

Azure Cygler Narragansett, RI NOAA
Christine Sherman Sector Management in New England

Christine Sherman, 60, lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts and is married to a commercial fisherman that is a member of Sector 2. Mrs. Sherman also works for the Northeast Seafood Coalition, an industry advocacy group based in Gloucester and is primarily in charge of fundraising for the group. Mrs. Sherman has felt a huge impact from sectors and feels there is only a few years left for a viable, small boat commercial fishery in Gloucester. She has seen the impacts in her own family and life, having experienced physical and mental issues related to financial stress in an uncertain industry.

Azure Cygler Gloucester, MA NOAA
Hilary Dombrowski Sector Management in New England

Hilary Dombrowski, 64, is a commercial fisherman out of Gloucester, Massachusetts. He began fishing around age 10, progressively buying and operating larger boats. He now jigs for cod and tub trawls for haddock, in the inshore. He is a member of the common pool because quota allocations were assigned based on years during which there were a great deal of regulations, thus limiting catch for many in the region. As a small fisherman, there is no real avenue for him to get into a sector, as it is quite expensive.

Azure Cygler Gloucester, MA NOAA
Russell Sherman Sector Management in New England

Russell Sherman, 64, lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts and has been fishing for over 40 years and came to Cape Ann during his summer breaks from Harvard University where he was studying History. He got his first boat in 1980 and maintains that active participation in fisheries management is very important. He has attended meetings at the state and federal Council level for years until recently when his stress and frustration with the management process overpowered his decision to attend meetings.

Azure Cygler Gloucester, MA NOAA
Christopher Hickman Sector Management in New England

Chris Hickman, 63, is a commercial fisherman out of Hatteras, North Carolina. Mr. Hickman began fishing in the 1970's after retiring from farming; his grandfather was a fisherman in the early 1900's. He currently fishes for monkfish and a variety of other species using a gillnet inshore along the east coast in New England. Mr. Hickman has been in the commonpool in New England since sectors began; sector management is not in place in North Carolina. He feels that sector management is not the right management strategy and would abolish it given the opportunity.

Azure Cygler Hatteras, NC NOAA
Rodman Sykes Sector Management in New England

Rodman Sykes, 59, is a commercial fisherman out of Point Judith, Rhode Island. His family was in the fishing industry and he grew up on the docks fishing with his grandfather, father and uncles; he bought his own boat in 1984. He currently fishes predominantly for fluke (summer flounder) and skates. He is a member of Sector 5 and has participated in various cooperative research projects, including underwater cable monitoring off Vero Beach, Florida. Mr. Sykes believes that sectors could have been a great management tool but for the way National Marine Fisheries Services allocated quota.

Azure Cygler Narragansett, RI NOAA
Jon Knight Sector Management in New England

Jon Knight, 52, is the owner of Superior Trawl, a fishing gear designer and builder, in Galilee/Point Judith, Rhode Island. He began as a commercial fisherman and was drawn to working with nets. He began working for various gear shops and attended the University of Rhode Island, receiving both a technical degree in fisheries and later a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He owns and operates Superior Trawl and is involved in cooperative research, in an effort to improve selectivity in fisheries.

Azure Cygler Narragansett, RI NOAA
Richard R. Walz Sector Management in New England

Richard "Rob" Walz, 50, a commercial fisherman out of Tiverton, RI, began fishing as a boy. Mr. Walz fishes offshore, targeting different species seasonally. He has been a member of the common pool since sector management began, because his sector allocation was too small. Mr. Walz finds that sector management often causes fishermen to target one species, whereas fishermen used to diversify and catch numerous different species in an effort to conserve less abundant fish.

Azure Cygler Tiverton, RI NOAA