Wes Bunker is a part-time lobster fisherman and sea urchin diver in Hancock County, Maine.  

This is an interview with the alewife agent for the city of Ellsworth, Maine. Each year lobstermen come to buy alewives for bait for the lobster. He discusses the mechanics of the fish trap and moving the fish to their spawning grounds. He discusses the life cycle of the alewife and the importance to the lobster harvest. He discusses the sea birds that follow the fish and the competition that develops among them.

John Crossman has been a lobster fisherman for 23 years, starting in Frenchboro, an island off the coast. John learned fishing from his father. He currently fishes off Bass Harbor, Mount Desert Island, but keeps his fishing spots secret.

Danner Curtis is a lobsterman based in Blue Hill Bay, Maine. Curtis did not come from a fishing family and was able to start fishing after filling out a Maine state license. There are now permit programs in place, including a student program that allows students to fish 150 traps in the summer as long as they attend college.

Billy Grindle, is a fisherman who used to fish for various types of fish from Eastport, Maine to California. He fished for scallops, lobsters, tilefish, butterfish, squid, mackerel, herring, porgies, giant Atlantic bluefin tuna, and oysters. Billy started fishing at the age of seventeen and continued until he was thirty. He owned a forty-foot boat but also worked on larger boats up to a hundred and ten feet. He kept his boat in various locations such as Northeast Harbor, Bass Harbor, Gloucester, Block Island, and Port Clyde.

Billy Haas is a lobster fisherman, commercial urchin diver, and scallop diver. He has been involved in these activities for about fifteen years. His daily schedule varies throughout the year. He works for ten months and takes two months off, usually during May and June. During the slow period, he prepares for lobstering, which begins at the end of June.

Bob Hessler is the manager at Maine Shellfish Company, a shellfish wholesale company. His responsibilities are accounting, data processing, and purchaser of lobsters.

Herb Hodgkins is a renowned figure in the lobster industry, known for his expertise as a lobster fisherman, entrepreneur, and researcher. Born and raised in Hancock, Maine, Herb was exposed to the world of lobster fishing at a young age, accompanying his father on fishing trips. From being a curious helper to occasionally being a little nuisance, Herb developed a deep-rooted connection to the lobster industry. Although Herb didn't pursue lobster fishing as a full-time occupation, he remained closely involved in various other aspects of the industry.

Heath and Lee Hudson are mussel fishermen and entrepreneurs based in Maine. Heath Hudson owns a thirty-three-foot dragger named the Ms. Daisy, which was originally a lobster boat converted into a dragging vessel for mussel harvesting. The Hudsons operate the Frenchmen Bay Mussel Company, which was initially started by Heath's father. After his father retired, Heath purchased his boat and continued the family business.

In this interview, alewife harvester Rick Welch reflects on the Downeast Maine alewife fishery. The interview contains his thoughts on the effects of dams, the desirability of alewives as lobster bait and the difference between alewives and blueback herring.