Toby Lees is a fisherman from New Bedford, Massachusetts.  He was born in 1951 in Worcester, Massachusetts, but his family has ancestry in New Bedford dating back to the whaling days. He started fishing in 1970 after being placed on a boat as part of his Commercial Fisheries and Marine Technology course at the University of Rhode Island. Lees has been a full-time fisherman since graduating in 1971. He has a young family with two daughters and a wife.

Captain Quintin is a third generation fisherman. He tells of a few stories from his career including a prank he pulled on a crew member, the Perfect Storm, and an deck accident which happened to one of his crew.

Thomas Quintin Jr. is a native of New Bedford, Massachusetts, born in 1961 at St. Luke’s Hospital. He has spent his life in the fishing industry, working his way up from deckhand to captain. Quintin is a self-proclaimed “dinosaur” in the industry, struggling to remain viable against the growing corporate fishing industry. He has been a captain for 21 years, but has also worked as a deckhand and a mate on various boats. Quintin is currently employed by Quinn Fisheries, which owns five boats.

Thomas O'Shaughnessy recounts the time he drift dived off Molokini in Hawaii.

Theodore (Ted) Pedersen is a retired fisherman of Norwegian descent, born in Norway and later immigrated to the United States. He spent his career as a scalloper, working out of home ports in Brooklyn, New York, and New Bedford, Massachusetts. Despite his father and grandfather both losing their lives at sea, Pedersen pursued a career in fishing, starting in scalloping with his father. He worked in various roles throughout his career, including deckhand, mate, and skipper. Pedersen retired in 1980 after 41 years in the industry.

Ted Williams is a seasoned professional with a rich history in the New Bedford fishing industry. Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Williams moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts at the age of eighteen to pursue a career in agriculture. After working in the farming industry, he transitioned to marine construction, carpentry, and various other jobs before finding his calling in the fishing industry. Williams' extensive experience in the fishing industry includes roles as a fisherman, lumper, stevedore, fish cutter, tug boat captain, and merchant mariner.

Tammy Frye is a former fisherman as well as the daughter, wife and mother of fishermen. She tells about the loss of her two grandfathers at sea, her time fishing with her husband, how she found out she was pregnant, and the decisions her sons have made about their careers at sea.

Susan Petersen is an anthropologist who has dedicated a significant portion of her career to studying the fishing industry in Massachusetts. She moved to the state in 1973, shortly after earning her PhD from the University of Hawaii. Petersen began her research at the Woods Hole Oceanographic, where she sought to understand the structure of the fishing industry, including boat ownership, financial structures, and the impact of fish stocks on the industry's health.

Steve Cassidy is an 85-year-old self-taught diver of white ethnicity. He began his career as a lifeguard at Horseneck Beach in 1955, where he was involved in several rescue operations. Cassidy's interest in diving began around this time, and he soon transitioned from lifeguarding to diving. He is a self-taught diver who learned the ropes of the profession through hands-on experience and by learning from others in the field. Cassidy partnered with Robert Douglas Ripley, a navy diver, and together they started a diving business.

Stephen Lacombe is a male lumper from New Bedford, MA. He was born in Fall River and was introduced to the profession of lumping by his stepfather, who was also a fish lumper. Stephen's brother, Ed, also worked as a lumper before becoming a firefighter in New Bedford. Stephen has been working as a lumper since he was eighteen and is currently the President of the lumpers Union. Despite initially not intending to make a career out of lumping, Stephen has been in the profession for over 25 years.