Ken Murgo, 31 years old at the time of his interview, is a diversified fisherman in Narragansett Bay, RI. With his father, Ken fishes for conchs, lobsters, quahogs, and a variety of different finfish on the F/V Johnny B. In his interview, he talks about his parents' expectations that he would enter medical school after college, his inevitable return to full-time fishing in spite of these expectations, and the interest he feels in fisheries science and cooperative research.

Scope and Content Note

Ken discusses his background in fishing, starting with bullraking in Narragansett Bay, a tradition passed down from his grandfather. Despite pursuing a bachelor's degree in chemistry and considering medical school, Ken says he was drawn back to fishing due to his love for the outdoors. He delves into his various fishing activities, including conch fishing, sea bass pots, scup potting, tautog, quahogging, lobsters, and crabs. Ken also notes the financial challenges and regulatory obstacles that new entrants face in the fishing industry, expressing how difficult it is to establish oneself without generational knowledge, skills, and financial support. He also touches on the lack of buyers in the area and the importance of dockside sales for his business. He talks about how he initially delivered seafood to households and one restaurant through an old dockside sale program, but now he has the opportunity to sell to more restaurants and wholesale businesses due to a new program. 

Ken mentions that the fishing industry, particularly lobstering, is hard to get into, with very few young people engaged in the profession. He highlights that there are not many opportunities for new entrants to become full-time fishermen, as they often have to start part-time and work their way up. He acknowledges the importance of adaptability in the industry, where one needs to pivot and catch what's available to make a living. Ken also shares his involvement in cooperative research, where fishermen work with scientists to gather data and gain a better understanding of fish stocks. He notes the importance of data ownership and the benefits of incorporating fishermen's expertise into scientific research.

Ken says that fishing "really was the only option. I mean, I guess I didn't acknowledge it for a while. But I should have known I would always end up doing it. So yeah. I don't regret it. It's good to have the education. It helps a lot… I can read scientific papers… A lot of fishermen misinterpret the scientific papers. I don't blame them. They're very dense, and they have a lot of words. That's the biggest thing, I think, is just having such a strong science background. Actually, what I'm interested in now, I want to learn how they model fish stocks and stuff. I wish I went to school for it. But I still find that stuff fascinating.”