Mary Beth Tooley is from Lincolnville, ME and works for the O'Hara Corporation, a family-held company that has been involved in fishing since 1906. The company initially focused on New England groundfish but had to shift its operations to the North Pacific, specifically the Bering Sea, after the Hague Line decision placed their fishing grounds in Canadian waters. The O'Hara Corporation has 11 scallop boats based in New Bedford and two herring boats based in Rockland, Maine.

Scope and Content Note

Mary Beth Tooley talks about the looming issue of bait shortage and how it is affecting O’Hara’s business, her personal life, and the well-being of her community. Tooley first clarifies that most of the Bering Sea fisheries are conducted by vessels home-ported out of Seattle. She says that the catch, including flatfish and pollock, is often shipped to China for processing and then brought back to the United States. When asked about her personal journey in the fishing industry, Tooley explains that she did not come from a fishing family but ended up marrying a fisherman. This connection introduced her to the industry, and she attended meetings related to state-managed herring. She highlights that her interest in public processes led her to participate in meetings, including those organized by the New England Fishery Management Council to develop a federal fishery management plan for herring. Tooley also mentions concerns about herring quotas and says she supports declaring a fishery disaster.