On September 26, 2009, Lynne Williamson interviewed Barbara McCarthy as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Documentation Project. Retired boat owner, business woman, mother and fisherman's wife, Barbara McCarthy, shares her knowledge and experiences from throughout her lifetime in the commercial fishing industry.

On September 23, 2007, Millie Rahn interviewed Barbara Merry as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Documentation Project. Barbara describes her childhood, noting that she’d been surrounded by boats her whole life. Her father owned a wholesale/retail marine company, and she grew up on a wooden cruising boat. She gravitated toward tying knots and starting selling her macramé to make a little extra money. Once macramé went out of fashion, she tried several other crafts before finding Ahsley’s Book of Knots and began knotting.

Born in 1898, Mrs.

This interview with Captain Benjamin Payson of Gloucester, MA took place on November 16, 1893. William Wakeham and Hugh M. Smith conducted the interview in an effort to gain information on the mackerel fishery. At the time of the interview, Payson had 40 years of experience and was captain of the vessel S.F. Macker out of Gloucester, MA.

Born in 1896, Mr.

On September 25, 2010, Madeleine Hall-Arber interviewed Bernice Calnan as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project.  Bernice was born into a fishing family, her father immigrating to the US from Newfoundland. She retells stories she grew up hearing about her father’s youth and work as a boat cook, providing a good sense of the New Bedford fishing community of the 1960s.

On September 23, 2007, Julie Olson interviewed Betsy Pye as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project. Betsy shares personal anecdotes from her childhood in New Bedford and her perceptions of the waterfront as an outsider. She describes meeting her husband when she was 19, and chronicles his family’s history, his work as a boat engineer, and her involvement with the local fishing community after their marriage. Deb Schrader, and her involvement in advocating for the fishing industry, served as a role model for Betsy.

Bill Adler, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association, began lobstering in 1963 and has remained involved in the industry since. He started by gathering sea moss off the coast of Marshfield and transitioned to lobstering. Adler holds a master's degree in English and taught school while continuing to lobster. He has been involved in the politics of the lobstering industry and holds positions in various commissions and organizations, including the Lobster Institute.

Bill Gell was a pilot who flew a spotter plane for swordfishermen in the 1970's and 1980's. He shares the story of a practical joke he played on Rodney Avila as well as life as a pilot.

Bob Quinn and Helene Quinn and their ancestors have lived and worked on Eagle Island in Penobscot Bay Maine for generations. Bob got his start working on a pumper in the sardine industry and eventually began lobstering. Bob is now passing the torch to his grandson, Sam, who is eagerly embracing a life at sea. Helene Quinn is Bob's wife. She hails from Rockland, Maine, and has deep roots on Eagle Island. Samuel Quinn Russo, aged 12 during the interview, is Bob and Helene's grandson. He represents the younger generation that is actively embracing the family's fishing traditions.