Jake Eaton
Young Fishermen in the Northeast United States
Interviews with 39 fishers between the ages of 18-35, located along the US East Coast from Maine to North Carolina. Collectively, they represent a wide variety of gear types and fisheries. All had been fishing full-time for at least two years and wanted to make fishing their career. They describe motivations for choosing a fishing career, strategies used, barriers encountered, and facilitating factors that have enabled interviewees to defy the graying trend to become successful fishermen.
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Sarah Schumann
Jake Eaton, 26 years old at the time of the interview, works as his father-in-law's sternman on the F/V Last Penny and operator of a lobster skiff, the F/V Eyesore in Portsmouth, NH. He comes from a long line of fishing families in Downeast Maine, and he finds it fulfilling to continue the family tradition. He grew up in Seacoast New Hampshire and went to high school in Dover. His father and grandfather were involved in fishing, with his grandfather being a lobsterman. Prior to fishing, Jake worked various jobs, including selling wood stoves and working at a farm stand. However, once he started fishing, he fell in love with it and saw the potential for a long-term career and possibly starting his own business in the future. Jake is married and has two young children.
Scope and Content Note
In his interview, Jake Eaton talks about raising a young family while working as a lobsterman, the camaraderie he feels working with his father-in-law, and the meditative solitude of fishing from his skiff. Jake says young fishermen like him are determined to succeed despite the challenges they face: "I hope that these lawmakers and stuff, when they are considering stuff, I hope that they consider the young guys. There’s a lot of hardworking young guys that really want to do this. It seems like there’s a lot of older guys that are in this industry, because there’s not as many young guys as there might have once been, but there’s still a lot of young guys that have a lot of motivation and really want to work hard and be successful. I hope that they take that into consideration when they’re passing laws and stuff."
Jake acknowledges the challenges of starting his own fishing business, particularly the high expenses involved, such as permits and equipment. He mentions that he would need to find an existing business with a boat, permit, and gear to purchase, as buying just a boat without a permit would result in financial difficulties. Currently, he is focused on paying off his student loans and hopes to take the opportunity to start his own business once he is more financially stable.
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