Azure Cygler

Interviewee Sort ascending Collection Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
William McCann Sector Management in New England

Bill McCann, 62, is a commercial fisherman out of New Bedford, Massachusetts. He began fishing with a lobsterman in 1975 after getting out of the Air Force; he has fished with various family members throughout his career and now fishes with his sons and ex-brother-in-law. Mr. McCann currently fishes predominantly for monkfish and skates, both inshore and offshore. He is an active member of sector 7 and believes that sector 7 functions better than other sectors due largely to the sector manager.

Azure Cygler Wareham, MA NOAA
Theodore Ligenza Sector Management in New England

Ted Ligenza, 60, is a commercial fisherman out of Chatham, MA. He began fishing around age 22 after working on the fish pier in Chatham; he now has 3 sons, all of whom fish. He fishes different species organisms seasonally, generally inshore, though occasionally offshore for codfish. In 2003, Mr. Ligenza joined the George's Bank sector, which was the first sector, long before sector management became the primary management regime in 2010, and is now a member of the Fixed Gear sector that began in 2005. He feels that leasing and owning fish is an awkward concept.

Azure Cygler Chatham, MA NOAA
Steven Wilkes Sector Management in New England

Steven Wilkes, 65, is a retired commercial fisherman out of Newport, Rhode Island. Mr. Wilkes fished with his grandfather as a boy and began fishing commercially at age 18, buying his first boat at age 29 after working as a teacher and deckhand for a few years. Though he in no longer an active fisherman, he still lives on his boat and maintains a permit in the common pool. Mr. Wilkes did mostly day trips as a fisherman, but worked patrolling telecommunications cables prior to retiring from fisheries. He does not have a positive impression of sectors or government involvement in business.

Azure Cygler Newport, RI 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
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
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
Philip Ruhle Jr. Sector Management in New England

Phil Ruhle, 37, is a commercial fisherman out of Point Judith, Rhode Island. His grandfather began fishing in the 1950s; his father and uncles also fished and his children now fish with him on occasion. He fishes for a broad variety of fish using a dragger, catching predominantly groundfish inshore in recent years. He is a member of the Sustainable Harvest Sector and is on the Board of Directors; his father, along with other fishermen, began developing the Sustainable Harvest Sector even prior to 2010 when sectors were put in place throughout New England. Mr.

Azure Cygler Narragansett, RI NOAA
Patricia Mattera Sector Management in New England

Patricia Mattera, 60, is married to retired fisherman Fred Mattera. Fred fished out of Point Judith, Rhode Island; he began fishing after taking a summer job during college and continued fishing until retiring in December 2011. He largely fished offshore, focusing on squid fisheries for the last 10 years of his career. Mrs. Mattera feels that regulations had been a source of stress in the fishing community for many years prior to the beginning sector management.

Azure Cygler Wakefield, RI NOAA
Niles Pearsall Sector Management in New England

Niles Pearsall, 44, is a commercial fisherman out of Point Judith, Rhode Island. He began fishing after high school and now fishes for groundfish or squid up to 100 miles south of New England. He is a member of Sector 5. He believes that sectors are a good idea, but that everyone needs more quota. Sector management has led to rifts in the fishing community, largely as a result of the disparity in quota allocation. Mr. Pearsall believes that his quality of life is the same, due in part to his wife's income which has made up for his loss in income.

Azure Cygler Narragansett, RI NOAA
Mary Ellen Brown Sector Management in New England

Mary Brown, 52, is married to commercial fisherman Chris Brown who fishes out of Point Judith, Rhode Island. Mr. Brown has been involved in fisheries since he was a little boy and currently fishes inshore, predominantly for groundfish. Mrs. Brown?s husband is a member of sector 5. She believes that sector management allows him to catch fish more economically and predictably.

Azure Cygler Narragansett, RI NOAA