Akira Otani, born in Honolulu, Hawai'i in 1921, grew up in a predominantly Japanese neighborhood with a strong fishing industry presence. His father ran a fish stall and wholesale business, while his mother worked in the fish and pineapple canneries. Otani's father had little involvement at home due to his work schedule, and Otani and his siblings had to take care of themselves. He attended Pohukaina School, a Japanese-language school with strict discipline, and later pursued a college preparatory program at Washington Intermediate School and McKinley High School.

Albert Louis Stanley was born August 31, 1930 in Hilo, Hawai'i. His father, Clyde LeGrand Stanley, was originally from Missouri. He journeyed to Hawai'i as a young man in 1916 in search of excitement Settling flrst in Hilo working for Hawaiian Dredging Company, Clyde Stanley married Rosina Bassler, a public health nurse in Hilo. The couple eventually moved to Laupahoehoe, where he worked as a maintenance superintendent for Hawaiian Consolidated Railway, Ltd.

Alika is a Native Hawaiian with a strong connection to his island home of Oahu, where he was born and raised. He comes from a family with a long history of subsistence fishing, and this heritage has shaped his deep appreciation for the marine environment. Alika pursued his passion for marine biology and aquaculture at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, where he actively participated in the Scientific Diving group. During his time at university, he conducted valuable coral reef surveys across the Hawaiian islands.

Agustina (Abaya) Villa, Ilocano, was born in Dingras, !locos Norte, Philippines on August 28, 1893 . The fifth of six children, Agustina helped support the family by taking in laundry from the people of her barrio. She also sewed clothing. Agustina married Antonio Villa in 1913 . In 1924, Antonio left for Hawaii to find work in the sugarcane fields. He was assigned to Lahaina, Maui. Agustina remained in the Philippines and continued sewing and laundering until 1931, when she and two of her children joined Antonio in Lahaina .

Chris Boggs is a Supervisory Fisheries Research Biologist and the Director of the Fisheries Research and Monitoring Division at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center [PIFSC] in Honolulu, Hawaii. He received his B.S. in Biology at the University of Hawaii Manoa. He received his Master's in Oceanography and Limnology as well as his PhD. in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin Madison. He began working at the Honolulu Laboratory in 1985 before it became the PIFSC.  He has spent the early part of his career studying tuna.

David Souza, Portuguese, was born February 7, 1906, in Honolulu. His father, a former storekeeper, died when David was three years old. The family then moved to Kalihi Valley, where David has lived ever since. He attended schools in Kalihi Valley and Kalihi Waena and graduated from St. Louis in 1926. During this time, David participated in community- and school-sponsored sports. After graduating from St. Louis, David worked as a wharf clerk for the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company. He remained there until 1952. He then became a wharf clerk for Thea H. Davies and Co., Ltd.

Oral history interview with Dennis Kamikawa.

Edward DeMartini was born in San Francisco, California in 1946.His father died when he was four years old, and he was introduced to fishing when he was six by his cousin who acted as a surrogate father at the time. Ed says he was a natural historian at a young age and credits his mother with giving him the latitude to be an avid explorer and sparking his early interest in fish. Ed graduated with a degree in biology from the University of San Francisco in 1968, and a Master’s in Biological Oceanography in 1970.

Oral history interview with Edwin Ebisui II and III.

Dr. Frank Parrish was inspired to pursue marine science by his Dad and his work. He learned to SCUBA dive at age 11 while living in Puerto Rico. His family moved to Hawaii just before he began high school where he spent these years volunteering for his Dad and recreational diving. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Zoology, his Master’s degree in Geography, and his PhD all from the University of Hawaii. He began working at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center as a biological aide, and is currently the Ecosystem Sciences Division Chief.