Linda Despres
Voices from the Science Centers
Voices from the Science Centers is an oral history initiative dedicated to documenting the institutional knowledge of fisheries scientists and administrators in the labs of NOAA’s Fisheries Science Centers.
Linda Despres was born in Brunswick, Maine and grew up on her father’s boat with her brothers learning about tuna fishing and how to navigate the sea. This ignited a passion for marine wildlife as well as being outdoors exploring nature. She graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in zoology with a minor in wildlife biology. She began working at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in 1973. She logged over 1,200 days at sea on the Albatross IV as well as many days at sea on foreign fleet vessels. She served as Chief Scientist aboard the Albatross IV beginning in 1975 and including the Albatross IV's last voyage.
Interview contains discussion of: fisheries science, Title 9, plankton larvae, marine biology, joint research projects, foreign scientific research vessels, social differences, herring, mackerel, cultural diversity, U.S. survey cruises, age and growth studies in marine biology, parasites, Europe.
Linda Despres provides a rich, detailed description of her time as Chief Scientist. She chronicles her time spent at sea, with detailed descriptions of the daily work on board the Albatross IV and foreign fleet vessel. She shares the ups and downs of being a scientist throughout changing culture of the fisheries industry. In addition, she reflects on the changes in women's roles on scientific vessels as well as the transition from manual data entry to electronic data entry in the information collection process within a laboratory environment. As of this interview, she was working on two books about the Albatross IV. One book focuses on the vessel, her structure and technology. The other focuses on the many people who sailed on board her.
Please Note: The oral histories in this collection are protected by copyright and have been created for educational, research and personal use as described by the Fair Use Doctrine in the U.S. Copyright law. Please reach out Voices@noaa.gov to let us know how these interviews are being used in your research, project, exhibit, etc. The Voices staff can help provide other useful resources related to your inquiry.
The NOAA mission is to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts, to share that knowledge and information with others, and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. The Voices Oral History Archives offers public access to a wide range of accounts, including historical materials that are products of their particular times, and may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes.
Voices Oral History Archives does not verify the accuracy of materials submitted to us. The opinions expressed in the interviews are those of the interviewee only. The interviews here have been made available to the public only after the interviewer has confirmed that they have obtained consent.