Steven Wilkes
Sector Management in New England
This project documents fishery management related changes in individuals, households, and communities in New England.
Matthew Schult
Steven Wilkes, 65, is a retired commercial fisherman out of Newport, Rhode Island. Mr. Wilkes fished with his grandfather as a boy and began fishing commercially at age 18, buying his first boat at age 29 after working as a teacher and deckhand for a few years. Though he in no longer an active fisherman, he still lives on his boat and maintains a permit in the common pool. Mr. Wilkes did mostly day trips as a fisherman, but worked patrolling telecommunications cables prior to retiring from fisheries. He does not have a positive impression of sectors or government involvement in business. He has seen a decrease in young people and infrastructure in the years since he left fisheries. He believes that there is a great deal of uncertainty associated with the future of fisheries, largely as a result of government involvement in the regulation of fisheries.
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