Lynn Selboe is an experienced commercial fisherman with a strong connection to the fishing industry in Alaska. Born and raised in Illinois, Lynn eventually moved to Seattle, where she currently resides. She grew up with a sister who was involved in fishing, working as a translator on a Joint Venture in the Bering Sea. Inspired by her sister's experiences, Lynn decided to give fishing a try after graduating from college in 1991. Joining the O'Hara Corporation, based in Rockland, Maine, Lynn began her fishing career on a 124-foot factory trawler called the Enterprise. She has been working for the company for approximately 11 out of her 15 years in the industry. As a fisherman on a factory trawler, Lynn's responsibilities include catching and processing fish on the lower level of the vessel.

Scope and Content Note
In this interview with Lynn Selboe, a fisherman from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, conducted by Julie Olson on September 23, 2007, several topics are discussed.  Lynn Selboe discusses how she got into fishing and describes the factory trawler she works on. She talks about her working relationships with the men onboard and mentions the physically demanding nature of the job. Selboe shares her college background and explains the learning curve she experienced on the boat. She mentions reaching the wheelhouse and talks about her general work schedule. The interview touches on Lynn Selboe's boat schedule and living arrangements. She works from Dutch Harbor but lives in Seattle, and the boat company she works for is from Maine. She also discusses the physical toll fishing takes on her. Lynn mentions that her parents and siblings also moved to Seattle. She talks about being asked why she isn't married with children and comments on the difficulties of raising a family while being involved in fishing. She also discusses catch composition and the resiliency of the Bering Sea. The looming quotas for the next year are mentioned, and Selboe explains that captains make decisions in the wheelhouse. She describes her role in the wheelhouse and her watch schedule, which involves working for 16 hours at a time. She discusses the challenges of long hours, rationalization (quotas), regulations, paperwork, and crew shares.  Lynn mentions that there are no health benefits, only a 401K plan. Her advice to new fishermen is to push through the pain, work hard, overcome seasickness, and seek encouragement. She also mentions that rationalization will have a significant impact and talks about the changing business environment in Dutch Harbor over the years. The interview briefly touches on changes in provision ordering due to shifts in supplier businesses and discusses where the catch goes. Selboe mentions that bottom trawlers are generally viewed in a negative light, and there is opposition to farmed fish in Seattle.  Finally, Lynn believes that people should take away from the festival the awareness that there are women in the fishing industry and that not all fishermen are "pirates."