George Robert Bailey was born in November 16, 1925, in Mount Victoria, Maryland.  George spent his formative years in Charles County, Maryland. Having received his education in the public schools of Charles County, George embarked on a career as a waterman. His expertise extended beyond the sea as he showcased his culinary mastery by serving as a chef for several establishments in the region, including White House, Robertson's, and Fin & Claw. In his later years, George transitioned to a role at Camp St. Charles in Rock Point, Maryland.

Wynn Gale is a lifelong resident of Darien, Georgia, and a fourth-generation fisherman. He began his career in commercial fishing at the age of twelve. Despite a brief attempt at a career in law enforcement, Gale returned to the fishing industry, following in the footsteps of his family who have only ever worked in fishing. Over the years, Gale has observed a significant decrease in the number of boats fishing in the area. He has also experienced the financial challenges of the industry, having had to sell his shrimp boat due to high dock rent and the lack of a crew.

Kevin Hart is a former lobsterman who now runs the only water boat delivering water to fishing boats in New Bedford and Fairhaven. He grew up in Westport, where his father was part-owner of a lobster boat; he now lives in Dartmouth. He talks about being the only water boat provider, the decline of the industry and its current status in New Bedford, even with current prosperity of scalloping, as well as voicing future ideas for New Bedford with and without the industry.

The son of a scalloper, Mark was introduced to the waterfront early. Not knowing what he wanted to do as a career after graduating from high school, he started buying and selling fish.  Eventually, he and his partner worked their way up from nothing to buying Bergies.  He discusses the changes in the business from when he started, especially the harsh realities of today that are a consequence of strict regulations (so fewer fish being landed) and changes in technology that has taken the jobs of many workers.

Michael Smith is the 58-year-old owner of North Eastern Trawl in New Bedford, MA.  His company specializes in wire rope splicing.  In this interview, he describes his job, how he became a wire rope splicer, and experiences he’s had over the past thirty-eight years as a wire rope splicer.  He speaks about his company notably as a family business and how he enjoys his work. 

Natalie Ameral, a female of Portuguese descent, was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, in 1994. She worked as a government contractor and port sampler, collecting lengths and biological samples such as otoliths based on a list provided by NOAA Fisheries. Ameral was the only female among seven port samplers in her company. She started working as a port sampler the year after graduating from college.

Luckas Smith, a 24-year-old male, has grown up around the fishing industry. He grew up in New Bedford, went to New Bedford Vocational School and recently graduated from Massachusetts Maritime Academy. He has worked as a wire splicer for his family’s business, Northeast Trawl, since he was about fifteen years old.  He explains the technique of splicing, the various tools, equipment, and the winch truck used for splicing.  Lastly, he discusses his view of the waterfront community and his pride in his role in the seafood industry.

Kirsten Bendiksen talks about her work in her family’s business, Reidar’s Manufacturing, a gear manufactory/support industry in New Bedford, formerly in Fairhaven. Talks about her Norwegian immigrant heritage and marrying a Norwegian fisherman, and later starting their busy gear shop, one of the few left to serve the industry. Kirsten works as bookkeeper in the business, which also employs her husband and their two sons and other workers.

Maria Gomez is from Guatemala and skins, cleans and packs fish at Bergie’s Seafood in New Bedford, MA. She has worked at the company for 15 years and her husband is also an employee.

This oral history was produced in 2017 as part of the Workers on the Waterfront Oral History Project conducted by New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center with funding from an Archie Green Fellowship provided by the Library of Congress.

Mariana Moreno is from Guatemala and has been working at Bergie’s seafood since age 16. She has learned all of the job duties at the plant including jobs typically reserved for men like hand cutting fish. She discusses adjusting her family budget to fluctuating work hours. She was recently promoted at Bergie’s and is always eager to learn more and take on more responsibilities in the workplace.

Pablo Sam immigrated to New Bedford, MA from Guatemala in 2004 and works at Bergie’s Seafood Inc. He started as a fish cutter and over the last couple of years has become a machine operator and a mechanic for 50 percent of the machines at his location. Pablo enjoys his work and plans on becoming a more efficient mechanic for the company.

Patrick Shepard works for the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries and was born in Stonington, ME. He talks about his experiences growing up in a fishing family and lobstering with his brother from a very young age. He also speaks about the changes he sees in his hometown and what the future of fishing in Maine might hold, particularly in finding ways to make more money from a smaller amount of high quality product.

Micah Woodcock, a wild seaweed harvester from Stonington, ME, speaks about the reality of the practical, personal, and community sides of harvesting wild seaweed. He discusses his experiences in Maine and his opinions of the future of the seaweed industry and the people influenced by this business.

Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2018 is a project of Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, and the Island Institute, with support from the Maine Fishermen’s Forum Board of Directors.

Rustin Taylor, from Somesville, ME, is an elver fisherman who fishes around Mount Desert Island and Ellsworth. He talks about the changes in the fishery over time and the environmental balances to consider when fishing. He explains some of the factors that affect this fishery, such as water level fluctuations caused by the Union River Dam and the quota system established after the 2013 season.

Robert Morse is the owner of Atlantic Laboratories North American Kelp. He runs a plant in Waldoboro, ME, that has been operating since the 1970s to produce fertilizers and animal feed supplements out of rockweed. They export to more than 24 countries and have established a global market for seaweed. Morse talks about the uses for “liquid seaweed” as well as how the seaweed business has changed over the years.

Paul Molyneaux, an author, journalist, and former urchin harvester and fisherman from Milbridge, ME, speaks about the capitalism and economics of the fishing industry. He also speaks about his experiences winkling for periwinkle snails and diving for sea urchins as well as participating in the governance of the sea urchin fishery.

Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2018 is a project of Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, and the Island Institute, with support from the Maine Fishermen’s Forum Board of Directors.

Richard Nelson is a retired lobsterman out of Friendship, ME. He moved to Maine to continue a musical instrument repair business, but the ocean view from the window of his shop called him out onto the water. He tells the story of how he started out helping and learning from a long-time lobsterman while slowly building up his own equipment and credibility in the community.

Phoebe Jekielek, an education program leader on Hurricane Island, ME, speaks about the realities and importance of working with students on Hurricane Island. She discusses changes she has observed through her years of work and the successes and challenges of aquaculture in education.

Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2018 is a project of Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, and the Island Institute, with support from the Maine Fishermen’s Forum Board of Directors.

Angus King, a United States senator from Brunswick, ME, speaks about the community of Maine and the cross-section of challenges and interests that are represented by people who attend the Maine Fishermen’s Forum. He focuses on the upcoming changes that the Maine community will need to face such as the recent Canadian trade deal with Europe, the Gray Zone, and climate change. Through a story about the implications of refrigeration in the 1920's, he highlights the importance Maine people remaining “resilient and creative.”

Sam Ladley, who summered on Matinicus, ME, as a child, started to go lobstering with his father and fellow youngsters by the age of 8. Ladley shares stories from his childhood fishing with his family and friends including how he survived a sinking ship accident and how, another time, their boat’s engine broke in a thick fog.

Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2018 is a project of Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, and the Island Institute, with support from the Maine Fishermen’s Forum Board of Directors.

In this interview Joey Scavone of Freeport, New York talks about his livelihood in working on the bay and ocean of Freeport.

Jack Combs was born on May 1, 1988, and grew up in Freeport and Massapequa, Long Island. He spent his childhood surrounded by the bay and developed a deep connection to the marine environment. Jack's family owned a bay house and a houseboat on Goose Creek. His father and grandfather played significant roles in shaping his love for the bay, with fishing trips in Greenport and oyster shucking being regular activities. He later took over Captain Jack's Bait Station, where he continued the family tradition of stunts and tricks to entertain customers.

John Remsen Sr. is a seasoned bayman and fisherman who was born in Freeport in 1933. Coming from a lineage of fishermen, with both his father and grandfather being involved in the trade, John developed a deep connection to the ocean from an early age. He assisted his great grandfather, Alanson Ellison, in haul-seining on the ocean before it was outlawed in 1942. At the age of 12, John began selling clams to local families, starting with a rowboat and eventually upgrading to a motorboat.

Retired bayman and boat builder John Remsen shares his memories of storms and hurricanes including Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

Jim Rose, born James Malan Rose on March 17, 1954, in Southampton, is a seasoned clammer and gill netter from Long Island, New York. He moved to the Patchogue area of Long Island in 1960 and has lived there for most of his life. Rose began his career in clamming at the age of twelve, following in the footsteps of his older brother. He started clamming part-time after school and during the summers, using an old boat he fixed up himself. Despite not coming from a bay family, Rose continued clamming throughout his junior high and high school years.

Jerry Collins, a lifelong resident of the Sayville area in Bay Shore, was born there and spent most of his life in the region, except for his military service. His father worked as a fisherman, clammer, and oysterman, instilling in Jerry a deep connection to the maritime activities of the area. Growing up, Jerry often accompanied his father into the bay, although he admits that he probably got in his way more often than not. In 1946, Jerry began his full-time involvement in clamming, primarily as a tonger. He has primarily worked in Islip town but has also worked in surrounding towns.

John Remsen, Sr. is a skilled boat builder who has dedicated his life to constructing garveys and other types of boats. During his lifetime, John has built approximately 100 garveys at an average rate of 5 per year. Throughout his career, John Remsen Sr. built boats for various individuals, including fishers such as Fred and Dott Verity, Elwood Verity, Jacki, the Millers, and clammers like Billy in Oceanside, among others.

Captain Oliver describes trap fishing, early twentieth century Provincetown, the Shaw Fund for Mariner's Children, and his experiences taking Ernie Pyle out fishing.

Notes: The Tales of Cape Cod Oral History Collection is housed at the William Brewster Nickerson Archives in the Wilkens Library at Cape Cod Community College in West Barnstable, Massachusetts. For more information about the collection, please contact the Nickerson Archives, http://www.nickersonarchives.org/.

Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken's grandparents immigrated to Gloucester in the 1940's.  Many of her relatives worked in the fishing industry in Gloucester.  Mayor Romeo Theken was married to a commercial fisherman and worked as a fish packer at Gorton's and later for the Addison Gilbert Hospital.  After her husband died, she began to get more involved in the Gloucester community and advocating for fishers.  She became vice president of the Gloucester Fishermen's Wives Association.  Mayor Romeo Theken also earned a B.A.

B.J. Copeland holds a Ph.D. in limnology from Oklahoma State University. His academic career began with research on the impact of petroleum waste on Texas bays while at the University of Texas. In 1970, he moved to North Carolina and continued his work in marine sciences. He served as the director of the Sea Grant program for over 23 years, where he focused on the needs of coastal communities and the dissemination of research to address those needs. His role involved extensive travel to small fishing towns to understand local issues and provide necessary information and support. 

Paul Collins was born in December 1954 and grew up in Smithboro, Kentucky. His father hailed from Irishman Creek, a region impacted by the construction of a dam, while his mother's family resided in Smithboro. Paul's maternal grandfather, John J. Amburgey, was a schoolteacher and merchant, running multiple general stores in the area alongside his brothers. Paul spent his childhood in Smithboro, where his family operated a general store that evolved into a department store.

Roy J. Cootes was born on December 3, 1932, at the old San Pedro Hospital in California. He spent his childhood in San Pedro, where his father worked as a shop superintendent for the Atlas-Imperial Diesel Engine Company, and his mother was a homemaker. Cootes attended local schools, graduating from San Pedro High School in 1950, and later obtained a certificate in internal combustion engine technology from Los Angeles Harbor College. In 1953, he pursued a brief career in professional baseball, signing with the San Francisco Seals.

Steven Cole was born in 1942in San Pedro, California. His m other, originally from Oakland, moved to San Pedro as a young child, while his father, a machinist from Amherst, Nova Scotia, arrived in San Pedro around 1918 or 1919. Cole's father worked at the Los Angeles Shipyard, which later became Todd Shipyard, before transitioning to the electrical business. Steven Cole grew up in San Pedro, assisting his father with the family electrical business, Cole's Battery, established in 1923.

Dennis and Barb Cook have been longtime residents of the Lake Winnebago area. Dennis Cook is an experienced sturgeon fisherman in the Lake Winnebago region. Barb Cook has supported and participated in the sturgeon fishing community alongside Dennis

Russell Collar, a lifelong resident of Shiocton, Wisconsin, has a deep-rooted connection to the sturgeon fishing tradition of the region. His family settled in the area several generations ago, moving from Hortonville to Stephensville before establishing their home in Shiocton. Collar grew up immersed in the fishing culture, acquiring skills and knowledge from his father, who was an avid fisherman. Collar served in the military during World War II, stationed in Japan, and returned to settle back in Shiocton, where he continued the fishing traditions.

Richard Culbreath is a member of the Culbreath family from Cortez, Florida, and is associated with the Cortez Grand Old Opry. His contributions to the local music scene are notable, and he plays an integral role in the preservation of regional musical traditions. Leo Galle, hailing from Biloxi, Mississippi, is a musician who collaborates with the Culbreath family. Ray Bach is from Myakka City, Florida, and also participates in the musical activities of the Cortez Grand Old Opry.

The interview with Tina Del Prete and Mirijana Beram, conducted by Carrie Kline on November 4, 2013, provides a firsthand account of the impact of industrial changes on their hometown and the resulting environmental and health concerns. Tina Del Prete shares her experiences growing up in Penns Grove, New Jersey, and the subsequent decline of the town following industrial shifts, particularly the effects of fracking.

Robert Schuster is an educator and historian. His family has resided on St. Croix for generations, and he has had a deep connection to Great Pond Lagoon since childhood. In recent years, Schuster has also been a witness to substantial environmental change across the island. 

Henry Tonnemacher is an environmental biologist who moved to St. Croix in 1977. There, he helped initiate the Hydrolab Program and taught scientific diving at the West Indies Laboratory, formerly part of Fairleigh Dickinson University’s campus on the island. 

Donald W. Stobbs was born on June 21, 1921, in St. Clairsville, Ohio, to Matthew and Lena (Sunderman) Stobbs. He served as a US Navy Pilot during World War II, stationed in the Aleutian Islands. After the war, Donald became a farmer until his retirement. He was a charter life member of the Colerain VFW Post 8848 and a member of Colerain Presbyterian Church, the Colerain Farm Bureau, and the Colerain Senior Citizens Center. Donald was also a charter member and founder of the Colerain Volunteer Fire Company.

Interview with Dr. John Mattox, owner and curator of the Underground Railroad Museum

Interview with Don Field – NOAA NCCOS Research Ecologist

Don DeMaria – Commercial Fisherman/Diver

Interview with Ed Harshbarger

Interview with Drusilla Ice.

Interview with D.R. Stanley

Donald Mattingly, also known as "Duck," was born on May 4, 1944. He was raised in the seventh district, in a place he refers to as his home place. His father, Joseph Olin Mattingly, was one of the biggest seafood dealers in St. Mary’s County. Donald grew up in a community where oyster shucking was a common occupation, with many people, mostly people of color, working in the shuck houses. He recalls his father going as far as Piney Point to pick up shuckers to bring down to shuck oysters.

Allan Tweddle, born on August 16, 1932, in Toronto, is an engineer with a strong background in the automotive and air quality industries. Tweddle dropped out of high school and worked odd jobs before returning to complete his high school education in Toronto. He then pursued an engineering degree at the University of Michigan, driven by his interest in the automotive world. After graduation, Tweddle worked with American Air Filter of Canada, focusing on air pollution and air quality in various industrial settings.

Edwin Veola Hutt (1918-2009)

By the age of fourteen, Hutt was running the family cannery, helping out on the farm and boxing eggs in the post office located in his father’s general store. Hutt donated to the Museum several cannery tokens that were used in place of cash to pay his workers through the World War Two era.

Theodore Stump was born on April 7, 1949, and grew up in southern New Jersey. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Delaware. During his early years, he worked in various factories, including General Motors. In 1978, he relocated to West Virginia as part of the rural revival of the 1970s. Attracted by the promise of free gas, he moved to Doddridge County, where he quickly learned about the separation of land and mineral rights. Stump became involved in the local landowners’ association and began advocating for the rights of landowners against gas extraction companies.

Don Kearsley was born in 1940 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and grew up in the nearby town of Linwood on Skull Bay. Kearsley learned fishing skills from the father of a friend, a professional fisherman who operated a seventy-five-foot boat. Kearsley did not come from a family with a fishing background; his interest in fishing developed due to his proximity to the water. His grandfather was from England, and his grandmother was from Ohio.

Francie Arnett was born on January 28, 1952, in Wheeling, West Virginia. She grew up in St. Clairsville, Ohio, in a house built the same year she was born. Francie is of Polish descent, with all four grandparents having ties to Poland. Both her grandfathers immigrated from Poland, while her grandmothers were born in the United States to Polish parents. Francie was raised in a close-knit, extended family, participating in various family celebrations and reunions. She attended Catholic schools for twelve years, from grade school in St. Clairsville to high school in Lafferty, Ohio.

William Tobias (“Toby”) worked as a fisheries biologist for the Division of Fish and Wildlife for 31 years until his retirement in 2010. He first arrived in St. Croix in 1972 as a student with the West Indies Laboratory. Since then, Tobias has also served on both the Fisheries Advisory Committee for the island of St. Croix and the Caribbean Fishery Management Council. 

Antonio (Tony) Macedo was born on September 7, 1970, in San Miguel, one of the islands of Azores, Portugal. He immigrated to New Bedford, United States, in 1978 at the age of seven. After living in New Bedford for four years, he moved to Acushnet. Macedo is a marine carpenter by profession and has a rich ethnic background of Portuguese. He learned the shipbuilding trade on the job and eventually bought his own business. He has spent his career building and repairing wooden ships by hand, a craft he learned during his teen years.

As an only child, Stephanie Anderson grew up with a large, close-knit, extended family in Pin Point, Georgia—a small Gullah Geechee community founded in 1896, eleven miles southeast of Savannah, in Chatham County. Ms. Anderson was raised and influenced by several strong, independent women. One of those women was her mother, who was a nurse and loved helping people in the community. Just like her mother, Ms. Anderson loved helping people; however, because of her fear of needles and blood, she became a teacher instead.

Chad Joseph Bergeron was born on August 28, 1978, in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He grew up in New Bedford and has a deep-rooted connection to the fishing industry through his family. His grandfather, a fisherman for over thirty years, was the one who introduced the family to the industry. Bergeron's father also worked in the industry, initially helping his grandfather by lumping boats. Bergeron continues the family tradition, working in the New Bedford fishing industry.

Primus Butler was born on January 31, 1932 in Thunderbolt, Georgia—five miles southeast of Savannah in Chatham County. In his youth, he fished and learned how to swim in the river behind Savannah State University. Before he completed high school he was drafted for the Korean War and served one year. He returned and graduated from Beach High School and briefly attended Savannah State College until his GI Bill expired. Mr.

Rebecca Bonds Bowen, better known as “Miss Sula,” was born in 1946 in Pin Point, Georgia—a small Gullah Geechee community founded in 1896, eleven miles southeast of Savannah, in Chatham County. Growing up, Miss Sula was often the primary caregiver for her younger siblings because her parents would leave early in the morning to either catch or pick crabs. In her early 20s, Miss Sula was employed as a crab picker but was persuaded by her mother to pursue her education for a better life. Miss Sula entered the nursing field and worked in various care facilities throughout Georgia.

Mrs. Lucy Mae Grant was born in 1930 in the small coastal community of Sherman Bluff, Georgia in McIntosh County—30 miles south of Savannah. Growing up, fishing was essential within her family and community and throughout her married life. Her husband was a shrimp boat captain and they had three children. However, the family connection to fishing did not extend to her two sons, who hated fishing and chose to enter the military instead. Mrs. Grant occasionally crabbed, but made her living working at the local hospital until her retirement.

Reverend Robert Thorpe, one of the original members of the Harris Neck community explains fishing, crabbing, and oyster picking in McIntosh County, Georgia. He recounts the locations and ownership succession of oyster factories in the area. Thorpe's oral history describes how catch was sold in Harris Neck and surrounding communities to support his family; the roles of men and women working in oyster plants; and wintertime trapping as a way to supplement fishing income.

Alexander Chavis, a twenty-seven-year-old male, is a dedicated worker at Bergie’s Seafood in New Bedford. Originally from El Salvador, Chavis moved to the United States when he was sixteen years old in search of better opportunities. Prior to his move, he assisted his mother in her small restaurant business and had aspirations of becoming a teacher. However, the high cost of university education in El Salvador led him to seek opportunities elsewhere. Upon his arrival in the U.S., Chavis was helped by friends and family in New Bedford to secure his first job in fish packing.

Mr. Wilson Moran, historian and Harris Neck decedent describes environmental stewardship in the local oyster and crab fishery. He gives an account of changes in the fishery due to anthropogenic impacts including pollution and over harvesting. Mr. Moran concludes his oral history explaining his father's work as a commercial crab fisherman and how a working knowledge of the estuary contributed to success in the fishery.

Description of the job of the tankerman, a licensed position on a fuel barge. Explanation about the benefit of fueling from a barge rather than a truck. Description of changes in fishing and scalloping since 1977. Demographic changes in the fishing community, lack of interest among young people. Some discussion about nicknames and superstitions, loss of the old-timers.

In this interview, Paul Anthony gives a rich description of the fuel delivery industry on the New Bedford waterfront. He discusses the process of fueling a fishing boat, how payment works, fluctuations in fuel pricing, and the relationships between dockworkers.

This oral history was produced in 2017 as part of the Workers on the Waterfront Oral History Project conducted by New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center with funding from an Archie Green Fellowship provided by the Library of Congress.

Trish DiCienzo was born in Brockton, Massachusetts in the year 1963, the oldest of four kids. She married at age 18 and moved out to Boston for 22 years then moved to West Roxbury, Massachusetts where she worked in the police department. Later, she moved to Lakeville so she could work at a processing plant in New Bedford. Shortly afterward she was asked to transfer to Maritime Terminal where she works today.

Paul Lemieux is 60 years old, a third-generation French-Canadian who grew up in the New Bedford area and attended the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational High School [Voc] where he learned welding. He started his own business, Blue Fleet Welding Services, in 1984 and has been working on the New Bedford waterfront in this capacity for 33 years.

In this interview Richard Gallagher, an electrical engineer at Chris Electronics in New Bedford, MA, shares his work history, discusses various electrical components of boats, details his daily work, and explains the relationships with customers, fishermen, and between co-workers at Chris Electronics.

This oral history was produced in 2017 as part of the Workers on the Waterfront Oral History Project conducted by New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center with funding from an Archie Green Fellowship provided by the Library of Congress.

Phillip Mello describes his duties as a general manager at Bergies Seafood in New Bedford, MA, including auctions, transportation, fish cutting, sales, deliveries and networking. He joined Tichon Seafood in 1980 and continues to be active throughout the Fairhaven/New Bedford Harbor. Mello enjoys photography and documenting the fishing community. Changes in weather and fishing regulations have altered prices, catches and the economy of the fishing industry.

Petter and his wife Sharon own Harbor Hydraulics in Fairhaven, which he started with his brother some years ago. Petter graduated from New Bedford Vocational school, worked fishing with his father-in-law for a while, then at Scandia propellers, and eventually opened his own shop doing both installations and the business end of the paperwork. Sharon does the computer work and their son works in the shop and doing installations on the boats.

Peter Heleen, fifty-six years old, has been involved in the fishing and shipping industry since he was a teenager. A graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, he worked for a variety of companies, including C.E. Beckman Company, a marine supply company, until 2013, when he became the yards purchasing manager for the Fairhaven Shipyard. He discusses his early years in the industry, the challenges of the job, his relationships with vendors and how the industry has changed over the years, particularly in terms of inventory management.

Patricia Galdamez is from El Salvador and is the team leader of the frozen fish line at a large fish processing plant in New Bedford. She enjoys her job and working with the various fresh and frozen fish products.  

This oral history was produced in 2017 as part of the Workers on the Waterfront Oral History Project conducted by New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center with funding from an Archie Green Fellowship provided by the Library of Congress.

Carmen Marinaccio was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1912. His parents were immigrants from Italy, his mother from Basilica, and his father from Accadia. Carmen's family moved to Long Beach, New York. Growing up near the water, he developed a passion for fishing and boating, which became a central part of his life. During the Great Depression, fishing became his primary occupation. Carmen eventually transitioned from charter boatman to making fishing lures and other equipment.

George Combs, born and raised in Amityville, New York, comes from a long line of baymen, boat builders, and market gunners dating back to 1644. George's ancestors settled in Hempstead and Freeport, initially known as Atlanticville and Raynortown. The Combs family legacy includes notable figures like George W. Combs, a market gunner and shipyard owner, and Captain Jack Combs, a well-known bayman and rum runner during Prohibition. George’s great-great-grandfather, Captain Dan Combs, was a privateer during the Civil War and a shipbuilder.

Frank Rizzo is an experienced fisherman and captain who has spent many years navigating the waters off Long Island. His experience includes encounters with American submarines and fighter ships, navigating through heavy fog, and dealing with the challenges of changing fish populations due to pollution. Rizzo has also worked with notable figures in the fishing industry, such as Captain Al, and has gained a wealth of knowledge and experience from these interactions.

George Streit, born on May 19, 1987, is a lifelong enthusiast of fishing, whose love for the sport has shaped his life and experiences. Originally from Queens, George moved to Freeport in 1940, where he discovered his passion for fishing at an early age. He acquired his first sport fishing boat, Tiger, and ventured into the world of big game fishing, which became a significant part of his life. Growing up with a father who was a cabinet maker, George learned the ropes of fishing while working on the shore.

Steven Holler, a lobsterman out of Boston, MA, begins by talking about the flooding that was happening in Boston at the time of the interview and its effects on the fishermen and his family. He speaks about his experiences fishing out of Boston since he was 14 years old and about the different fishing communities in Maine. Holler shares his thoughts about the current whale entanglement issues and explains why he has decided to lobster only in summer and fall.

Tap Pryor, an aquaculturist through Maine Shellfish Developers from Brunswick, ME, is currently attempting to grow oysters more efficiently and sustainably by growing them onshore. He speaks about his experience being on the original commission that founded the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), how NOAA was named, and his work growing oysters on land first in Hawaii and now in Brunswick.

Frank Cona, a fifth-generation fisherman from Macata, a small town in southern Sicily, Italy, was born on June 7, 1987.  Cona grew up in a fishing family.  At six, Frank began assisting his father and older brother on their family’s dragger boats, primarily cleaning fish and eventually becoming a captain.  In his hometown of Macata, shellfishing was not practiced; instead, Frank's fishing endeavors revolved around haul seining for sardines and anchovies.

Tyler Childers and Anson Kelley, lobstermen and high school students enrolled in the Eastern Maine Skippers Program in Jonesport, ME, are old friends who speak about their experiences in the Eastern Maine Skippers Program, their current work trying to improve bait quality and pricing, their current fishing locations, and the locations they plan to fish in the future.

Stanley Sargent, born in 1965 in Stonington, Maine, is a seasoned commercial fisherman hailing from the rugged coastlines of Maine, a state renowned for its rich maritime heritage. Born into a family with deep roots in the fishing industry, Sargent's life has been inextricably linked to the sea from an early age. His forebears were among the hardy souls who braved the Atlantic's capricious moods to haul in the bounties of the ocean, passing down their knowledge and passion for the craft through generations.

John Williams is a seasoned commercial fisherman hailing from Stonington with a lineage deeply rooted in the maritime tradition. His initiation into the fishing world began in his formative years, working alongside his father, which laid the foundation for the eventual captaincy of his own vessel. Williams' expertise spans a diverse array of fishing methods, including lobstering, groundfishing, and scalloping, showcasing his adaptability and depth of knowledge within the industry.

Richard A. Whitman is a seasoned fisherman with deep roots in Rockland, Maine, where he has spent his entire life of 48 years. Born into a family with Italian and Sicilian heritage, Whitman's connection to the sea and fishing is a product of both his lineage and his environment. From a young age, he was drawn to the waters that have long provided sustenance and livelihood to the people of Rockland. Over the years, Whitman has gained extensive experience in various sectors of the fishing industry, mastering techniques for catching herring, salmon, scallop, lobster, and shrimp.

Richard Bridges is a seasoned commercial fisherman from Stonington, Maine. He began his fishing career at a young age, setting 150 traps when he was just seven years old, alongside his best friend who was eight at the time. His family, originally from Swan's Island, moved to Connecticut for work during the war but returned to Maine when Bridges was born, believing it was a better place for a boy to grow up. Bridges started groundfishing commercially in 1964, and gill-netted out of Stonington from 1974 until 1984.

Paul Molyneaux was born in 1958 and has lived in various parts of Maine, including East Machias, Trescott, and Eastport. He began his career in the fishing industry in 1975, initially working in Key West, Florida, where he was involved in shrimp processing. In 1981, he moved to Maine and started fishing out of Rockland on groundfish and sword fishing draggers [4]. He also worked on scalloping during the wintertime. In 1986, Molyneaux moved to Eastern Maine to run the fish processing plant, Passamaquoddy Quality Seafood and Fillet, located on the Passamaquoddy Reservation.

Russell Wright, born in 1960, is a lifelong resident of Lubec, Maine. He has been serving as a marine patrol officer since 1999. Prior to joining the Marine Patrol, Wright had a brief stint in the logging industry before returning to his roots in the fishing industry. He has three brothers who are actively involved in the fishing industry. Wright's decision to join the Marine Patrol was influenced by his love for water and dealing with people.

Lynn Bowman was born on December 20, 1938, in Eastport, Maine. She is a third-generation Eastporter who lived in the city until her high school graduation. Like many young people from Eastport, she moved away after graduation to pursue opportunities in larger cities. She relocated to Portland, where she lived for approximately forty-eight years. During her career, Bowman worked at Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and she is now retired. In her youth, she was involved in the fisheries, working in a factory during the summer when she was fifteen.

Interview with Rockland lobsterman Roger Freeman, born April 22,1949 in Rockland, ME. At the time of the interview, Mr. Freeman was still living in Rockland. The interview contains information about Mr. Freeman's career fishing for lobsters. He describes his entry into the lobster industry in 1973 and the changes that he witnessed in gear, species fluctuations, prices and regulations.

Interview with fisherman Leonard E. Young, III, born September 9, 1944 in Bar Harbor, Maine. Young describes his entry into the commercial fisheries and discusses both lobstering and groundfish fishing.
 

Interview with Howie Edwards, who was born in Rockland, Maine. In this oral history interview, he describes changes in the community of Rockland as well as the canning industry.

One of the founding members of the San Diego Addicts Dive Club, Frank contributed countless artifacts and histories to this project. He set many records for competitive spearfishing, hand-crafted refined models of dive equipment from spearguns to sea sleds, and collected rare specimens as a scientific diver for Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He currently resides in La Jolla with his wife Suzy, and continues to provide insight and historical knowledge to new generations of divers with unmatched generosity.

Bill Howard is a seasoned diver with a rich history in the field of oceanography. Born in Pasadena, California, on September 1, 1938, Howard moved to San Diego in the summer of 1951. His first experience wearing a mask in the ocean was in front of the Marine Room. Howard was part of a dive club called the Cormorants, which was in existence for a short while. He later joined the Addicts, along with his diving buddies Bob Shea and Dave Lynn. Howard has a history of winning dive competitions, often with large sheep head fish. He also has experience with boat trips to the Cortes Bank.

Chuck Mitchell was born in Los Angeles in December 1940 and moved to San Diego in 1947. He grew up in Point Loma, attending Cabrillo Elementary School, Dana Junior High, and Point Loma High School. His father was a mechanic who owned his own garages, which led to Mitchell spending a lot of time working on cars and developing a curiosity about how things work. This curiosity has been a driving force throughout his life. In the early 1950s, Mitchell and his family moved onto a boat at Jim Underwood's Landing, the first marina on Shelter Island.

Walter Budd was a prominent figure among the men who worked the Great South Bay during the early-to-mid 20th century. Born in 1909, Budd started his career in West Sayville, Long Island, at the age of fifteen. Initially engaged in farming oysters, he, like his counterparts, had to adapt to the declining fertility of the bay's oyster beds by exploring alternative livelihoods or supplemental jobs.

Chuck Nicklin, a renowned diver and underwater cinematographer, was born in Massachusetts and moved to San Diego in 1942 at the age of fourteen. His father was in the Navy and was reassigned to San Diego during World War II. Despite his initial reluctance to move, Nicklin fell in love with San Diego and decided to stay even when his father was reassigned back to Boston. Nicklin graduated from Point Loma in 1945 and began his journey into the world of diving as a teenager, exploring the waters around Sunset Cliffs and La Jolla Cove.

William Kirk, born in 1947, is a lifelong resident of Rockland, Maine. He is the first member of his family to work in the fishing industry, having entered the lobstering fishery independently in 1967 to supplement his income from working at a clothing factory in town. Despite the significant increase in the cost of bait and other operating costs over the years, Kirk continues to actively lobster, selling his lobsters locally throughout his career. He has two sons, one of whom works with him in the lobstering business while the other works for a fishing company.

Dick Long is a pioneer in the field of dive suit invention and construction. Born in Berkeley, California, he moved to San Diego in 1963. His early life was marked by the impact of World War II, which led to his parents' divorce and his subsequent boarding out to a farm in Northern California. Long's diving career began in Monterey, where he learned to dive without formal classes, relying instead on a couple of basic guidebooks. His first experience with a mask in the ocean was in Monterey, where he was introduced to skin diving by a colleague.

Barbara Allen is a seasoned diver and underwater instructor who has made significant contributions to the diving community in San Diego. Born in Los Angeles, Allen first visited San Diego as a teenager with her parents. Her first experience with diving was in 1957 when she took the LA County Underwater Instructors class. This marked the beginning of her lifelong passion for diving and underwater exploration.

Interview with William R. Modden, born July 21, 1934 in Bar Harbor, Maine. Modden began fishing commercially in 1952 at the age of 18. He participated in the scallop and groundfish fisheries in Maine and Massachusetts.

Michael Sullivan is a seasoned commercial fisherman based in Brunswick, Georgia. With a career spanning several decades, Sullivan has owned and operated multiple fishing vessels, including his most recent acquisition, a 60-foot research vessel previously owned by The Department of Natural Resources. Prior to this, he owned and operated The Flying Cloud, an 88-foot North Carolina built boat, which was one of the largest boats on the East Coast in terms of power and size when he purchased it in 1986.

Lindsey Parker is a long-standing member of the commercial fishing community in Georgia. He has a rich history as a commercial fisherman and has been involved in various projects at the UGA Marine Extension. Over the years, he has captained several boats, including the Georgia Bulldog, the Morning Star, and the Southern Comfort. His career spans over 36 years, during which he has formed numerous friendships within the fishing community. Parker is known for his candidness and willingness to share his experiences and insights into the fishing industry.