Gloucester, MA

Interviewee Sort descending Collection Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Al Cottone Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport

Al Cottone was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, in 1965.  His parents immigrated from Sicily, and his father was a life-long fishermen.  Cottone graduated from Gloucester High School in 1983, and has been fishing out of Gloucester ever since.  

Scope and Content Note

Molly Graham Gloucester, MA NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Cape Ann Partnership for Science, Technology, and the Natural Environment
Angela Sanfilippo Sector Management in New England

Angela Sanfilippo, 62, lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts and serves as the President of Gloucester's Fishermen's Wives. Her husband was a commercial fisherman who lost his boat due to a fire and now works for on a charter boat because they knew it'd be too risky to re-invest in fishing; she does have a brother and other family members that are involved in sectors. Mrs. Sanfilippo works very hard to assist with commercial fisheries, whether through helping fishermen gain health insurance or by working in the permit bank.

Azure Cygler Gloucester, MA NOAA
Ann Molloy Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport

Ann Molloy was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, in 1965. Her ancestors all came from Sicily, where they fished.  She graduated from the University of Northern Colorado and began to work for the family business, Neptune's Harvest, a division of Ocean Crest Seafoods, Inc. as a bookkeeper and is now in charge of sales and marketing.  Ann is a big advocate for Gloucester's Working Waterfront.   

Scope and Content Note

Molly Graham Gloucester, MA NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Cape Ann Partnership for Science, Technology, and the Natural Environment
Anthony Gross Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport

Anthony Gross was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1952, and moved to Gloucester as a child. As a teenager, he worked at the Empire Fish Company, where Anthony's father was General Manager. At 18, Anthony began lobstering on a 16-foot skiff and crewed on a local tub trawler. Then, at 20, he began offshore lobster fishing and worked his way up from cook to engineer and first mate. When Anthony turned 22, he served on a tallow tanker, the "Y/O Olive Oyl," that carried tallow from Miami to Honduras and Guatemala.

Molly Graham Gloucester, MA NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Cape Ann Partnership for Science, Technology, and the Natural Environment
Benjamin Payson Fishermen Interviews of the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries, 1893-1895

This interview with Captain Benjamin Payson of Gloucester, MA took place on November 16, 1893. William Wakeham and Hugh M. Smith conducted the interview in an effort to gain information on the mackerel fishery. At the time of the interview, Payson had 40 years of experience and was captain of the vessel S.F. Macker out of Gloucester, MA.

William Wakeham, Hugh M. Smith Gloucester, MA U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Archives II , New England Regional National Archives
Charles H. Pew Fishermen Interviews of the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries, 1893-1895

Charles H. Pew of the firm John Pew & Sons in Gloucester, MA was interviewed by William Wakeham, Richard Rathbun and Hugh M. Smith of the U.S. Fish Commission. Interview contains descriptions of gear types, technology and the mackerel fishery,

William Wakeham, Richard Rathbun , Hugh M. Smith Gloucester, MA U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Archives II , New England Regional National Archives
Christine Sherman Sector Management in New England

Christine Sherman, 60, lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts and is married to a commercial fisherman that is a member of Sector 2. Mrs. Sherman also works for the Northeast Seafood Coalition, an industry advocacy group based in Gloucester and is primarily in charge of fundraising for the group. Mrs. Sherman has felt a huge impact from sectors and feels there is only a few years left for a viable, small boat commercial fishery in Gloucester. She has seen the impacts in her own family and life, having experienced physical and mental issues related to financial stress in an uncertain industry.

Azure Cygler Gloucester, MA NOAA
Danny Murphy Sector Management in New England

Danny Murphy, 39, is a commercial fisherman out of Gloucester, Massachusetts. Mr. Murphy's father started tuna fishing later in his life, eventually owning a trawler which piqued perked his son's interest in fishing as a profession. Mr. Murphy began working on his father's trawler at around 16 years of age and would fish for groundfish and also dredge occasionally for scallops and sea urchins. Currently, Mr. Murphy owns a 36-foot trawler and fishes inshore for groundfish and scallops and is a member of Sector 2 in Gloucester.

Azure Cygler Gloucester, MA NOAA
Dave Sargent Massachusetts River Herring Warden Oral History Project

Interview with Mr. Dave Sargent, Retired Herring Warden and Shellfish Constable for the Town of Gloucester

Joseph Dello Russo Gloucester, MA Barnstable County Cape Cod Cooperative Extension Marine Program, Woods Hole Sea Grant
David Tarr Fishermen Interviews of the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries, 1893-1895

David Tarr, of James G. Tarr & Bro. in Gloucester, MA was interviewed by William Wakeham and Hugh M. Smith. Interview contains descriptions of the mackerel fishery.

William Wakeham, Hugh M. Smith Gloucester, MA U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Archives II , New England Regional National Archives