Dr. Doug Lipton is currently the Senior Research Economist at NOAA Fisheries and a member of the Council of NOAA Fellows. He has a Bachelor’s in Biology from Stony Brook University, a Master’s in Marine Science from the College of William and Mary, and a PhD in Agriculture and Resource Economics from the University of Maryland. He started with the National Marine Fisheries Service as a Sea Grant Fellow in 1979 and was hired by NMFS as a fishery biologist before returning to school for economics. He also worked for Sea Grant as the national economics coordinator.

Dr. Rebecca Lent knew she would study economics in college after taking a course in high school. She obtained her Bachelor degree in Economics from University of California San Diego and her Master’s degree from San Diego State. After graduation, she worked at Oregon State University in the economics of the salmon industry. While there, she pursued a Ph.D. in Marine Economics graduating in 1984. Dr. Lent worked in academia for 10 years in Quebec before beginning her career at NOAA Fisheries in 1992.

Clyde MacKenzie completed his undergraduate studies at University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1955 and his master's degree in 1958. He began working for the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries in 1958, spending 14 years at the Milford Laboratory. While there, his research focus was on predation control in the development of oyster hatcheries. He has spent his entire career working with shellfish and their habitats.

Interview contains discussions of: NOAA, NMFS, ecology, marine science, fisheries science, commercial fishing, recreational fishing, ocean modeling, habitats, climate change, winter flounder, Magnuson Stevens Act. 

Phillip Levin was born in Champaign, IL in 1962. He studied at the University of Texas receiving his Bachelor's in Zoology. During college, a fish class led to his interest in marine biology and field work. After teaching marine science at a San Antonio high school, he attended the University of New Hampshire where he received his PhD in Zoology. He then was an Assistant Professor at Texas A & M before he joined NOAA Fisheries at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in 1999 as a Research Fisheries Biologist.

David McClellan was born on August 18, 1949 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He worked for NOAA at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center as a Fisheries Research Biologist for 37 years, conducting countless dives to gather data on the fisheries.

Interview contains discussion of: Southeast Fisheries Science Center, collecting fisheries data, NOAA divers, evolution and effect of data collection technology, benefits and disadvantages for working for a government agency, Reef Fish Visual Census Program.

Tiffani Marsh was born in Warren, Ohio in 1956. She received her B.A. in Zoology from Miami University. She began her career at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in 1990 studying salmon migration patterns. She is now a Supervisory Research Fishery Biologist in the Fish Ecology Division.

Dr. Peter Lawson earned his Bachelor’s degree at Evergreen State College, and his Master’s and Ph.D. in Stream Ecology at Idaho State University. Dr. Lawson was a field ornithologist in northeastern Mexico, studying in particular parrots and peregrine falcons. After earning his graduate degrees he joined the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife using modeling to study Coho salmon.

Harold P. Luscomb was born April 27, 1926 in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. His Hilo-bom father, Harold P. Luscomb, Sr., had moved to Pennsylvania to work for Westinghouse Electric Company and to work toward a degree in electrical engineering. There he met his wife, Helen Jones Luscomb. Harold Jr., the couple's only child, was raised at the home of his maternal grandparents in Pittsburgh. At the age of ten, Harold, his father, and mother moved to Hilo, where his father was employed by Hilo Electric Light Company.

Bunji Fujimoto, the sixth of ten children, was born March 22, 1930 in N"mole, Hawai'i. His parents, Saiji Fujimoto and Ei Sorakubo Fujimoto, were immigrants from Hiroshima, Japan. Saiji Fujimoto was a laborer and independent sugarcane grower for Wailea Milling Company which later (1944) merged with Hakalau Plantation Company. As a youth, Fujimoto helped his father in the sugarcane fields. His chores at home included cutting grass for livestock, feeding livestock and poultry, and tending the family garden.

The middle of three children born to Randolph Ahuna, Sr. and Adeline .Kame'ekua Ahuna, Eloise Ahuna Pung was born in Kukuiopa'e, South Kona, Hawai'i on December 16, 1933. Her paternal grandfather, Loo Ahuna, had a farm where he grew coffee and raised poultry and livestock.

The seventh of thirteen children, Alexander M. Riviera was born in Hakalau, Hawai'i on August 9, 1931. His father was John Fernando Rivera, who immigrated from Puerto Rico in 1901, and Mary Dejesus Rivera, who was of Spanish descent and born in Hawai'i. [Note: Alexander changed the spelling of his last name.] Like many laborers, Riviera's father took on contracts at various sugar plantations on the Big Island. Riviera and his siblings spent their childhoods living in sugar plantation camps at Hakalau, Kukuihaele, Papa'aloa, and Papa'ikou.

Albert Louis Stanley was born August 31, 1930 in Hilo, Hawai'i. His father, Clyde LeGrand Stanley, was originally from Missouri. He journeyed to Hawai'i as a young man in 1916 in search of excitement Settling flrst in Hilo working for Hawaiian Dredging Company, Clyde Stanley married Rosina Bassler, a public health nurse in Hilo. The couple eventually moved to Laupahoehoe, where he worked as a maintenance superintendent for Hawaiian Consolidated Railway, Ltd.

Catherine Diama Campainha was born to Visayan immigrants, Catalina Buscas Diama and Agapito Diama, in Hilo, Hawai'i on March 28, 1938. She has five brothers and four sisters. Her father owned and operated Mamo Pool Hall, a billiard parlor located below their living quarters, and rented out rooms to bachelors in a boardinghouse. Her mother leased and ran the Ideal Meat Market until the mid-1940s. The Diama home on Mamo Street was a gathering place.

Evelyn Lyn Miyazaki Kagawa, nisei, was born June 22, 1922 in Tacoma, Washington. Her parents, Carl Shintaro Miyazaki and Matsuko Matsukawa Miyazaki immigrated to America from Kumamoto and Ehime prefectures, respectively. Kagawa, the second of four children, was raised and educated in Tacoma, graduating from Stadium High School. She was attending the College of Puget Sound when World War II broke out. Carl Miyazaki, a leader in the local Japanese community, was picked up by the FBI and interned as an enemy alien at Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Fusae Tanaka Takaki was born May 28, 1923 in Hilo. She was the youngest of four children born to Eijiro Tanaka and Kura Hano Tanaka, both immigrants from Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Eijiro Tanaka worked as a stone crusher, stevedore, and merchant marine. Her mother sold lunches and snacks from her car near Coconut Island and the Hilo wharf area. Takaki was raised in the Shinmachi district of Hilo, home to a large portion of Hilo's Japanese population.

A man raised in Kahului's Kanaha Camp touches on his parents, schooling, and work. He retains a trace memory of tsunami flooding in Kahului.

Forest Blume, a native of Fayette County, West Virginia, has a rich family history rooted in the early settlement of the area. His grandfather was among the first settlers. Blume worked as a conservation officer with the Department of Natural Resources. His role encompassed a broad range of responsibilities, from enforcing litter laws to executing warrants in the rural counties of West Virginia. 

Ronald Bruch was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and spent his childhood summers in Ashland County, Wisconsin. Bruch attended the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he earned his bachelor's degree. He later obtained a master's degree and is completing his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Bruch began his career with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in 1976, starting as an intern in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He held various positions, including working on the O'Connor River Project and in Marinette and Milwaukee.

Ronald Bruch was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He spent his summers in Ashland County, Wisconsin, where he developed a keen interest in sturgeon and other fish species in the Flambeau River. Bruch attended the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, earning his bachelor's degree in fisheries. He earned his master's degree and worked towards a Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Bruch began his professional career with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in 1976.

Ben Burg, an individual deeply connected to the traditions of sturgeon spearing in the Winnebago system, was born into a family that has resided in the area since at least the early 20th century. His great uncle, a significant figure in the family history, was known for his spearing activities alongside the Stockbridge Indians, who were indigenous to the area. This tradition was carried on by Burg's father and eventually by Burg himself, who began spearing in 1944 and continued annually without interruption. His involvement spans several decades.

Kathleen Schmitt Kline interviewed Dan Folz on July 10, 2008, for the People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish project. Dan Folz, a seasoned fisheries biologist, began his career with the Wisconsin Conservation Department, later renamed the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Born and raised in Milwaukee, Folz pursued his studies at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. After graduation, he joined the Five Lakes Research Project in Northern Wisconsin and eventually became an area fish manager.

Darlene Czeskleba, born in 1933, spent much of her life in Wisconsin. She married Donald Czeskleba in 1951, three days before he joined the Marines. During Donald's service, Darlene joined him in California for about a year and a half before they returned to Wisconsin. The Czeskleba family settled in Wild Rose, where Donald became the manager of the State Fish Hatchery, a position he held from 1956 until 1987. Darlene supported her husband's career, managing their household and raising their children.

William Casper was born in Wisconsin and grew up in a rural area near Lake Winnebago. He developed an interest in fishing at a young age, encouraged by his uncles. Casper's career began at Giddings & Lewis, a machine shop in Fond du Lac, where he worked as a machinist and eventually became a maintenance foreman. His passion for fishing, particularly sturgeon spearing, led him to become an advocate for the conservation of the species.

Serge Doroshov is an expert in aquaculture, particularly known for his contributions to sturgeon research. He began his career in the Soviet Union, where he gained second-hand experience in sturgeon culture through interactions with a well-known sturgeon culturist. In 1977, Doroshov relocated to the United States, initially lecturing at the University of Washington. In 1979, he secured a position at the University of California, Davis, where he commenced his work in aquaculture.

Eric Cheslock was born in 1956 and raised in Menasha, Wisconsin. He developed a strong connection to the local waterways, frequently fishing on Little Lake Butte Des Morts and Lake Winnebago. Cheslock has been employed at SCA Tissue for twenty-eight years. His family consists of six boys, many of whom share his enthusiasm for outdoor activities like hunting and fishing. Eric Cheslock's interest in sturgeon spearing began in 1985 through the influence of a friend. He is known for his dedication to the sport, having participated in spearing seasons that previously spanned sixteen days.

Bill Buksyk was born on August 26, 1930, in Neenah, Wisconsin. He grew up in a family where sturgeon spearing was a common activity, introduced to him by his older brothers. After completing high school, Buksyk joined his brothers in sturgeon spearing, initially serving as an assistant. His early experiences involved traditional, manual methods of ice cutting and fishing. Buksyk's first sturgeon spearing experiences were under the guidance of his brother Elmer. Over the years, he developed his skills and eventually acquired his own fishing shanty.

Lewis “Lewie” Lawrence is the Executive Director of the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission in Saluda, Virginia. Lewie Lawrence was interviewed to document the Middle Peninsual Planning District Commission’s experience in establishing the country’s first Public Access Authority. The Public Access Authority was established to identify, acquire and manage water access opportunities in the Middle Peninsula of Virginia. Mr.

Heeny Yuen was born in 1926 in Hawaii. After leaving the Army, he completed his bachelors degree at the University of Michigan. He then returned to Hawaii and began a career in fisheries management at the Honolulu Lab while a graduate student. His first job was as a plankton picker. Over his long career, Heeny‘s research focus was varied with his later work focusing primarily on tuna and shark. He participated in numerous research cruises throughout his career over the vast Pacific territory. He retired in 1991 and as of this interview still lives in Hawaii.

Peter Katich is the Senior Planner for the City of Gig Harbor, Washington. Peter was born in April 1954. He has worked in the planning field for 37 years. Peter Katich was interviewed to document the City of Gig Harbor’s experience with the establishment of a historic working waterfront shoreline district through its Shoreline Master Program. Mr.

Wayne Davis is a commercial lobsterman from Tremont, Maine. Wayne Davis was interviewed to capture his family’s experience using the Maine Working Waterfront Access Protection Plan (WWAPP) to secure the Davis wharf’s future as a commercial fishing pier in perpetuity. Mr. Davis describes the important history of the Davis wharf to that region of Mount Desert Island and how, in the late 2000’s, the effects of the lobster price collapse due to the recession triggered extreme pressure on the family to sell. Mr.

Larry Collins is President of the San Francisco Community Fishing Association. He was born on July 28, 1957. Larry Collins discusses the context, origins, and development of the San Francisco Community Fishing Association. He describes the need for access to fish, markets, and infrastructure in order for working waterfronts to succeed. He explains that the fishing association was created in an effort to address these needs of the small boat fishermen in San Francisco as catch share programs posed challenges to this fleet.

Chris Boggs is a Supervisory Fisheries Research Biologist and the Director of the Fisheries Research and Monitoring Division at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center [PIFSC] in Honolulu, Hawaii. He received his B.S. in Biology at the University of Hawaii Manoa. He received his Master's in Oceanography and Limnology as well as his PhD. in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin Madison. He began working at the Honolulu Laboratory in 1985 before it became the PIFSC.  He has spent the early part of his career studying tuna.

Biographical Note:
Sherrie Miller is a resident of Panacea, Florida born on December 19, 1961. She works in her family’s restaurant, Posey’s Restaurant, and serves as the Vice- Chairman of the Panacea Waterfronts Florida Partnership.

Shey Conover is the Chief Operating Officer at the Island Institute in Rockland, Maine. She was born on March 5, 1980. Shey Conover describes the Maine Working Waterfront Mapping Inventory that her organization, with many partners, conducted in the mid 2000's. Ms. Conover describes how the Maine Working Waterfront Coalition was striving to provide communities with tools to protect their waterfront access, but that a comprehensive inventory of existing access points and type of access was lacking. Ms.

Gina Ylitalo is an environmental chemist at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, Washington. She was born in Yakima, Washington in 1957, and has been interested in a career in science since junior high.She attended Yakima Valley Community College for two years before transferring to Western Washington University and receiving a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. She earned her Master of Science in Chemistry from Western Washington University and was hired by National Marine Fisheries Service in 1989.

In a discursive interview, a man depicts his family's self-sufficient lifestyle in Kapaa, Kauai. Also covered are his experiences in Honolulu, including witnessing an accident during air maneuvers. He recounts the events of the 1957 tsunami on Kauai, including anecdotes about his brother-in-law's survival and his gathering of fish washed ashore by the waves.

A man recaps his life story from family background, growing up in Hana, and life in Hamoa. He describes the waves and destruction that occurred in Hamoa on April 1, 1946.

A Puunene-born woman speaks of her family and growing up in Spanish B Camp. She describes teenage life when she attended St. Anthony's School in the 1950s. Also mentioned are her jobs, marriage, and children. She presents a detailed account of her escape from the 1960 tsunami which inundated Kahului and tells of the major cleanup which followed.

An adopted man describes growing up in the close-knit Hawaiian village of Hamoa, Hana, Maui. Age eleven in 1946, he recalls the tidal wave, which took his adopted mother and destroyed his home.

Maui-born man describes his traditional Hawaiian upbringing, fishing and growing taro for subsistence, in isolated Keanae. He touches on his various jobs, including county and Civilian Conservation Corps work. Although he only saw the aftermath of the April 1, 1946 tsunami, he recounts the experiences of his family and neighbors.

Born in Puunene, a woman describes growing up in a plantation town, Japanese domestics in the household, and schooling at English-standard Kaunoa School. A Punahou School alumna, she describes her Mainland college experiences, including witnessing racial discrimination. She details the Speckelsville beachfront house her parents built with the help of a Japanese stone mason. A child in 1946, she explains how she, her family, and house guests escaped the tsunami.

A Maui man remembers life in Skill Camp, Paia, Maui. He outlines his family ancestry. He and his family moved to isolated Maliko Bay, where they escaped the 1946 tsunami by climbing a hill. He witnessed the destruction of his home by the waves.

A Molokai resident describes the waves which washed ashore on April 1, 1946 and the destruction of beachfront houses in Kalaupapa.

Living in Kaunakakai at the time, a woman tells of sleeping through the 1960 tidal wave and describes the beach the following morning.

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.

On September 26, 2004, Millie Rahn interviewed Deb and Ron Schrader as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project. Ron was raised in a fishing family, and knew he wanted to be a fisherman from an early age, and made his way along the coast from North Carolina to New Bedford, MA, where he achieved his goal of becoming a captain. Deb grew up in New Bedford, but it wasn’t until she met Ron that she became involved in the local fishing industry.

On September 25, 2011 Madeleine Hall-Arber interviewed Dick Grachek as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project. Dick shares memories from his childhood which nurtured his attachment to the water. Despite not coming from a professional fishing family, his love for the ocean was instilled in him by his grandfather, who owned a fish store in Brooklyn, and father, who took him fishing frequently. Growing up on the south shore of Long Island, Dick was exposed to the cycles of fish and the intricacies of marine life from a young age.

On September 22, 2007, Janice Gadaire Fleuriel interviewed Donna Goodwin as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project.  Donna comes from a long line of fishermen: her father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all in the industry. At the age of seven, her father taught her how to splice three-strand ropes, which she was later able to make her profession working for New England Ropes and starting her own business, the Splice Girls.

On September 23, 2007, Janice Gadaire Fleuriel interviewed Diane Flynn as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project. Diane shares details from her 27 years of working in the fishing industry as an inshore fisher of soft shell clams. Her partner, Skip, came from generations of fishermen, and taught her the trade, and she describes their work harvesting clams, along with scalloping, quahoging and oystering.

On September 26, 2009, an unknown interviewer interviewed Edward Barrett as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project.

On September 25, 2004, Millie Rahn interviewed Eddie Fortes as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project. Fortes discusses the process of cutting fish, his entry into the field, and the changes in the industry, such as the absence of unions and the prevalence of minimum-wage jobs held by people who cannot speak English.

On September 29, 2012 Markham Starr interviewed Donald Spooner as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project. Donald describes his upbringing and childhood in Fairhaven, MA. As a Boy Scout, he used to visit Guilmette's machine shop on Main Street in Fairhaven, learning to use different tools and eventually started working, making wooden doors for draggers. After high school, he joined the Navy in 1950 and served for four years.

On September 23, 2006, Janice Gadaire Fleuriel interviewed Donna Cunio as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project. Donna discusses her life with her husband, a merchant marine captain, including details of his work transporting cargo for Texaco and the struggles involved in maintaining the homefront, and managing a difficult pregnancy. While he was at sea, Donna worked full-time and helped care for her family.

Biographical Sketch

On October 19, 2021, Molly Graham interviewed Nezette Rydell remotely for the NOAA 50th Oral History Project. Rydell, born in 1955 in San Antonio, Texas, pursued a career in meteorology, influenced by early experiences with extreme weather events. She earned a degree in meteorology from Texas A&M University, where she was among the few women in the program. In the interview, Rydell discusses her formative years, family background, and the influence of the space race on her educational interests.

On September 10, 1981, Robert Livingstone interviewed Martin Rockwell Bartlett in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, as part of a series documenting the history of the local fishing industry. Bartlett, born in 1933 in Mount Kisco, New York, served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1952 to 1956 before beginning his career in fisheries research and commercial fishing. He worked with biologist Frank Mather on tuna migration studies and later transitioned into commercial fishing, focusing on swordfish and longline operations.

In this interview Walter Orr Roberts discusses the Mesa Laboratory and surrounding site, including the Fleischmann Building, and its architect, I.M. Pei. Roberts speaks briefly about his experience designing the High Altitude Observatory (HAO) and how that informed planning of the Mesa Laboratory. Roberts goes into detail discussing the structural and aesthetic design of the Mesa Laboratory and surrounding site; the relationship with the architectural team; Pei’s architectural influences; and how the rooms and spaces have been utilized throughout the years.

William Bryant, also known as Bill, was born on June 20, 1937, in a small crossroads town called Amlin, Ohio, near Plain City in the northwest part of greater Columbus. His father held various jobs, including milkman, railroader, and a captain in the Columbus police department's corrections division. His mother worked at Woolworths and raised six children, five boys and one girl, with William being the second boy. Despite dropping out of high school in his senior year, Bryant joined the Navy at seventeen and later earned a GED.

Topics covered include Braham's early life and education; the war years when he was a meteorologist and pilot doing weather reconnaissance; his interest in weather modification; the Thunderstorm Project; the Lewis Douglas Joint Institute with the University of Arizona; Project White Top under the University of Chicago; work on the "Blue Book" with Tom Malone and Bill Von Arx; and the early ideas about NCAR.

Oral history interview with Jason Delacruz.

Erin Bowers is a dedicated educator and environmental activist with a rich background that includes service in the Army Reserves. Raised in a working-class Catholic household, Bowers' early experiences shaped her values and commitment to community service. Her career in education has been marked by a deep commitment to fostering learning and growth in young people. Beyond her professional role, Bowers has been actively involved in environmental activism, with a particular focus on opposing fracking in her local community.

Oral history interview with Martin Fischer.

Oral history interview with James Britt.

Oral history interview with Jim Hitch.  

Oral history interview with Jay Tucker. 

Frank Heller and Jack Collins, two friends and prospective aquaculturists from Brunswick, ME, share anecdotes from their life including how Heller broke his leg while walking on Popham Beach, was treated by the same doctor as Stephen King, and few years later, broke his wrist in the same location as the leg. Both men are interested in organic ocean farming and discuss the information they learned at the Forum about oyster aquaculture and seasteads.

Frank Heller and Jack Collins, two friends and prospective aquaculturists from Brunswick, ME, share anecdotes from their life including how Heller broke his leg while walking on Popham Beach, was treated by the same doctor as Stephen King, and few years later, broke his wrist in the same location as the leg. Both men are interested in organic ocean farming and discuss the information they learned at the Forum about oyster aquaculture and seasteads.

John McMillan, the owner of McMillan Offshore Survival Training and resident of Belfast, ME, and Don Wagner, one of his employees, offer the Drill Conductor Course to lobstermen. Both focus on the importance of safety training in the lobster industry and include stories of the gratitude people have expressed at knowing what to do in emergency situations, particularly when their training was able to save multiple lives.

John McMillan, the owner of McMillan Offshore Survival Training and resident of Belfast, ME, and Don Wagner, one of his employees, offer the Drill Conductor Course to lobstermen. Both focus on the importance of safety training in the lobster industry and include stories of the gratitude people have expressed at knowing what to do in emergency situations, particularly when their training was able to save multiple lives.

John Peabody is an offshore lobsterman, although he maintains licenses for many species, out of Point Judith, RI. He is an owner/operator of a boat that goes out on multi-day fishing trips. He focuses heavily on the importance of fishing for a diversity of species and his frustration with there being too many regulations and too much paperwork to maintain each permit. He also speaks about his satisfaction in proving scientists wrong when they are not willing to listen to fishermen’s observations.

David Myslabodski, who was born in Mexico, lived in Israel, and is currently living in Rockland, ME, is a seaweed consultant. He describes his efforts to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of growing and processing seaweeds and speaks in detail about the economy, demand, production, and tensions in and around the seaweed industry in Maine.

Krista Tripp, a lobsterman from Spruce Head, ME, speaks about her childhood experiences fishing, going through the lobster apprenticeship program, and how her grandfather supported her desire to become a lobsterman. She addresses the realities of being a new, late, and female fisherman in this area and expresses her excitement at seeing more women on the water.

Marcia Beal Brazer, from Ogunquit, ME, shares a personal story about her husband Norman Brazer, a lobsterman, who got tangled in a lobster buoy rope and fell overboard while fishing near Boon Island, ME. N. Brazer was lucky that he was carrying a knife and was able to untangle himself; however, when he surfaced, he could not find his boat. Luckily, another lobsterman, Mark Sewell, noticed N. Brazer’s body floating and took him to the hospital. After three rounds of CPR, N. Brazer finally responded. He is still a lobsterman. M.

Glenn Robbins is a herring and lobster fisherman out of Rockland, ME. He has extensive experience on the sea as he started fishing when he was 12 years old. He compares purse seining and trawling and talks about their effects on marine ecosystems. Robbins also speaks about the changes, as well as the rises and falls, in the fisheries over the past 60 years. Robbins emphasizes how important it is to fish sustainably and protect fishing grounds.

John Sibunka was a long time employee at the Sandy Hook Lab. His career spanned from 1966 when he joined the ichthyoplankton department to 2006 when he retired. He graduated from South Maine Vocational Technical Institute and Rutgers University where he received his bachelor's degree. During his career, John served on the R/V Delaware II, R/V Albatross IV,R/V NAUVOO and the R/V Henry Bigelow. Over his 40 year career, he spent an average of 100 days at sea per year.

Donna Wieting currently serves as the Director of the Office for Protective Resources at NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service. She has a B.S. in Animal Science from the University of Massachusetts and a Master’s in Marine Science from Louisiana State University. She has been at the agency since 1989 in various roles. 

Jerry Wetherall was born in San Francisco. He graduated from Humboldt State University with his undergraduate degree and received his PhD at the University of Washington. His dissertation focused on salmon, downstream migration of salmon, on the Duwamish River. He served in the Peace Corps in Uganda and Kenya,and then began his career with National Marine Fisheries Service in 1974 at the Honolulu lab. Jerry has had a long and distinguished career in NOAA Fisheries and has worked all over the Pacific on a variety of topics.

Dr. Nancy Thompson was born in September 1949 in Newark, New Jersey. She earned her PhD from the University of Rhode Island. Dr. Thompson worked for NOAA from 1980-2011, serving as the Director at both the Southeast and Northeast Fisheries Science Centers during her career. At the time of this interview in 2016, she was working at the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science.

Robert Santangelo is a fishery market reporter for the National Marine Fisheries Service. He received his B.S. in Business from C.W. Post College in 1976. His father and uncle worked at Fulton Fish Market from the late 1940's to the early 1960's which meant that Santangelo was around the fishing industry from a young age. His first job for NMFS was as a clerk in 1979. Shortly after being hired, he also started working as a market reporter for Market News at Fulton Fish Market. He reported on the market at Fulton from 1979 until 2005 when the market was moved to the Bronx.

Robin Waples was born in Berkeley, California. He received a Bachelor’s degree in American studies from Yale University and his Ph.D. in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In 1986, Waples joined the Northwest Fisheries Science Center as a National Research Council Research Associate. From 1997 to 2000 he was the Director of the Conservation Biology Division. In 2001, he became the center's Senior Scientist. His research interests include population genetics of anadromous and marine fishes.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Dr. Seki received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Oregon- Eugene, his M.S. in Oceanography from the University of Hawaii-Manoa, and his PhD in Marine Environment and Resources from Hokkaido University Graduate School of Fisheries Science in Hakodate. He began working with at the Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center in 1980. He is currently the Science Center Director.

Interview contains discussions of: Seabirds, high seas drift nets, satellite technology, seamounts, long line fisheries, swordfish, tuna, JIMAR.

Dr. Steve Turner was born on May 23, 1949 in Providence, Rhode Island. He began working in 1974 at what was then the Mid Atlantic Fisheries Science Center at the Sandy Hook lab which was merged into the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. He received his PhD from Rutgers University in 1986. He moved to the Southeast Fisheries Science Center from 1984, and is currently the Fisheries Statistics Division Chief at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Miami.

Linda Stehlik graduated in 1972 from Douglas College, a part of Rutgers University, with her bachelor's. She initially focused on terrestrial ecology but decided to pursue marine studies in lieu of studying birds due to the more promising job market in the marine biology field and her interest in tropical ecology. She began her graduate work at the University of Florida before attending Virginia Institute of Marine Science where she earned her Master's in 1980. She worked at Cook College between schools and spent time researching salt marshes in New Jersey.

Donald Clattenburg is an 81-year-old retired boat owner from Fairhaven, Nova Scotia. Born in Port Midway, Nova Scotia, he moved to New Bedford in 1941 with his three brothers. His father owned four fishing boats in New Bedford, and DC began his career in the fishing industry at the age of fifteen, working in Homers Filet House. He was drafted into the Navy at eighteen during WWII and participated in the invasion of the beach at Okinawa. After the war, he returned to fishing, working with his uncle on the Two Brothers and later on his father's boat.

On August 22, 2008, Michael Stieber interviewed Rodney Lyons for the Preserving Oral Histories of Waterfront-Related Pursuits in Bayou La Batre project. Rodney Lyons was born and raised in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, and his family has been deeply involved in the seafood industry for generations. His grandfathers were commercial fishermen, and his family members have participated in nearly every aspect of the seafood trade, from fishing and crabbing to dealing with seafood and making nets.

Young marrieds in 1946, a woman and her husband were caught in the 1946 tsunami, which destroyed their beachfront house in Spreckelsville. She details their swimming to safety along with neighbors and coping in the aftermath of the flooding. Also recalled is the 1960 tsunami as it affected Kailua, Oahu.

One of twelve children, a woman discusses her family's background. She explains how the children divided their time between Oahu and Molokai, traveling on the inter-island steamships. She recalls the effect of the 1946 tsunami on family and neighbors. Also described are the traditional luaus (feasts). Goodhue was also interviewed for the Ualapue project.

Richard was born in San Pedro in 1946; a third generation Japanese-American (sansei). In this interview, he recounts how his family came to be living in San Pedro from Japan, and the challenges they faced because of "yellow exclusion laws" and other discriminatory practices that prevented his grandparents from becoming U.S. citizens. His grandfather settled initially in a Japanese fishing community near Santa Monica, California where he ran a fish market. However, he was not legally allowed to hold a business license until 1954 when he was allowed to become a U.S. citizen.

Ronald "Square" Goya, one of three children, was born to Okinawan inunigrants, Ushi "Haru" and Aizo Goya, on September 19, 1911. His father, originally from Okinawa, worked first as a plantation worker on the Big Island. After moving to Hilo his father drove a hackney then a taxicab; he later operated a grocery, liquor store, U-Drive, and service station. Born in the Waiakea section but raised in the Shinmachi section of Hilo, he attended Waiakea Kai, Kapi'olani, Hilo Intermediate, and Hilo High schools. He graduated from Hilo High School in 1934.

Violet Okino Hirata was born September 29, 1925 in Hilo. She was the third of seven children born to Yoshio Okino and Masako Kayano Okino, who owned and operated Okino Hotel on 482 Kamehameha Avenue. The hotel was started in 1913 by Yoshio's father, Yoshimatsu Okino, an immigrant from Japan. Violet Hirata grew up in family quarters in one section of the hotel. Along with her two older sisters, she helped her parents in the hotel dining rooin, serving food to customers and clearing tables. She also helped take care of her four younger brothers.

Sadako Ishizaki Suzuki was born August 29, 1929 in North Kohala, Hawai'i. Her father, Sahichi Ishizaki, was an immigrant to Hawai'i from Japan and was employed by Kohala Sugar Company. Her mother, Itoyo Takatani Ishizaki, was born and raised in North Kohala. When Suzuki was eight years old, she, her older sister, and two younger brothers were orphaned. The children were taken in by a Daikawa family in Hilo and eventually came to live in the Waiak:ea district of the town.

On September 23, 2007, Julie Olson interviewed Crista Bank as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project.  Crista shares her experiences in the marine and fisheries field, including her education at UMass Dartmouth, her early work studying coral reef ecosystems in Australia, and her time as a marine biology instructor in the Florida Keys.  Her career then took her to New Bedford, where she joined the sail training ship Ernestina and became involved in the fisheries observer program.

On September 25, 2010, Markham Starr interviewed Charlie Mitchell as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project. Charlie describes his childhood in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, where he developed a love for the water. After attending school, his plans to go to law school were interrupted by the Vietnam War. Charlie chose to join the Navy and gained extensive experience aboard vessels. Following the war, Charlie entered the tug boating business, founding Mitchell Towing and Salvage, in 1973.

On September 27, 2013, Markham Starr interviewed Chris Rodriques as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project. Chris recalls her childhood in New Bedford, and her experiences as a fish house worker during the 1970s and 1980, working at Golden Eye and other fish processing plants like J.B. Fillet and Kyler. Some fish houses she worked for, like Sea View, Cape Way, Tichon's, Parisi's, Riello's, and MacLean’s, are no longer in existence. She describes various roles she undertook, from trimming fish to packing, weighing, and shipping.

On September 29, 2012, Madeleine Hall-Arber interviewed Chad Cunningham as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project.  Chad discusses his move to New Bedford from Virginia. From the first time Chad saw the fishing boats of New Bedford, he knew he wanted to be on them. Through hard work, determination, and a few connections, Chad got his start in the fishing industry, initially as a cook, before becoming an engineer. He has been fishing ever since.

Christy Fox-Allen was interviewed by Anjuli Grantham on July 8, 2015, at Gull Light, Uganik Bay, Alaska, as part of the West Side Stories project by the Kodiak Historical Society. Christy was born July 7, 1952, in Seattle, Washington, where she went to high school and college, but spent every summer living in Uganik Bay.

Alberta Laktonen was interviewed by Anjuli Grantham on October 29, 2015, in Kodiak, Alaska, as part of the Kodiak Historical Society’s West Side Stories project. Born in 1930 in Karluk, Alaska, Alberta grew up in a large family in Larsen Bay, where her Norwegian father was a set net fisherman, cannery worker, mail carrier, and carpenter. Alberta recounts childhood memories of subsistence gardening, household chores, educational opportunities, community life, and the local cannery’s role in the village.

David Little was interviewed by Anjuli Grantham on June 19, 2015, at Surf City in Uganik Bay, Alaska, as part of the Kodiak Historical Society’s West Side Stories project. David Little was born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1952 but was brought up in Southern California, moving to Alaska at the age of 29. He quit a career as a research psychologist at the Department of Defense and, through various personal encounters, worked in a cannery in Anchorage and then Kodiak and fell into the area’s setting community, buying his first permit with his wife Lisa in 1985.