Eva Liput is a fishing vessel captain and a Polish immigrant who moved to the United States in 1986. She grew up in Poland, where her father worked as a fisherman on George's Bank. Eva developed an interest in sailing at a young age, influenced by her older brother who was a sailor. After immigrating to the United States, Eva first settled in Newport, Rhode Island, before eventually moving to New Bedford, Massachusetts. In 1986, she started working as a deckhand on the fishing vessel Michigan, a scalloper.

Fernando Gonzalez was born in Guatemala City. After coming to the United States, he began shrimping out of Bayou La Batre, AL. He has been a commercial fisherman for over 30 years, fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, San Pedro, CA and New England. He discusses his own close calls and the loss of several of the New Bedford fleet.

Frances Rodrigues has been the wife of a scalloper for over 30 years. She talks about pranks, close calls, life at home and other aspects of a fishing families life.

In this interview, Francisco “Chiquinho” Almeida describes his journey from Cape Verde to Portugal to the United States and the many jobs he held before becoming a scalloper. He describes the role of language in the commercial fishing industry and how regulations have affected him and the commercial fishing industry at large.

Francisco Ferreira is a seasoned fisherman based in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Born in Portugal, Ferreira immigrated to the United States with his family in 1981 when he was still a baby. His father and grandfather were both fishermen, and Ferreira followed in their footsteps, starting his fishing career at the young age of thirteen. Over the years, he has worked on various fishing vessels and has gained a deep understanding of the fishing industry.

On September 23, 2005, Janice Gadiare Fleuriel interviewed Fred Mattera as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project. Fred discusses his Italian heritage, his grandparents’ immigration to the United States, and growing up in Rhode Island. Originally planning to finish his degree and attend law school, he became fascinated with the competitive nature and financial prospects of fishing, and he decided to forgo law school to pursue a career at sea.

Galon "Skip" Barlow is a long time fishermen from Cape Cod. He tells about a trip he took into Buzzards Bay forty years ago. 

Mr. Barlow describes a day shellfishing which did not go as he planned.

Galon "Skip" Barlow is a retired shellfisherman and seafood restaurant owner from Buzzards Bay Village, Bourne, Massachusetts. Born into a family with a long history dating back to the 1600s in Cape Cod, Skip's lineage includes sea captains and notorious figures. His father, a navy veteran and canal pilot, instilled in him a love for the coastal habitat and shellfishing from a young age. Skip began his career in shellfishing in his early teens, learning the trade from his father. However, after realizing the difficulty of the profession, he returned to school.

Mr. Edwards tells the story of a time his father was thought lost at sea.