A.M. Smith was a prominent figure in the fish business in Portland, Maine, during the late 19th century. His career in the industry spanned at least fifteen years, during which he gained significant insights into the mackerel fishery and the legislation surrounding it. Smith was not personally engaged in the fisheries but was a dealer, which gave him a unique perspective on the industry's economics and the effects of legislation on the market. Smith was known for his innovative thinking and was the first to propose a five-year close season for mackerel fishing.

Adam Mistler is an advocate for environmental conservation and collaboration between environmental nonprofits and fishing communities. As a representative of the Ocean Conservancy, he works to dispel misconceptions and build bridges with lobstermen, emphasizing their role as stewards of their livelihoods. Adam's passion lies in positive storytelling and engaging with diverse stakeholders to find common ground in addressing environmental challenges while supporting sustainable fishing practices.

This interview with Captain Ahmon Mallock of Portland, ME took place on November 23, 1893. Members of the Joint Fisheries Commission conducted the interview in an effort to gain information on the mackerel fishery.

Albert Simmons was born on February 17, 1938, and his family has lived in Friendship, Maine for three generations. He and his wife, Peggy, have two children and four grandchildren. A lobsterman for 50 years, he has also served in the Navy and as Fire Chief of Friendship.  His hobbies include building models of working boats, hunting, fishing, reading, and cooking.   

Alex DeKoning, a mussel farmer based out of Bar Harbor, ME, is the son of seventh generation mussel farmers from Holland. His family has been farming mussels in the Netherlands since the 1750s. However, due to limited expansion opportunities there, they decided to explore other regions and eventually settled in Maine. DeKoning and his family run the only mussel farms in North America that farm mussels on the bottom instead of on ropes.

Alfred "Buddy" Simmons, born on August 6, 1926, in the small coastal town of Friendship, was widely recognized in the community. He devoted his entire life to lobstering, a trade deeply intertwined with his family heritage. Buddy spent 65 years as a lobster fisherman and shared his insights in an interview shortly before his passing on February 9, 2004. He is survived by his wife Dorothy, five daughters, and 11 grandchildren, although his only son tragically died in a car accident during his teenage years.

Ali Berlow is a graduate student at Vermont Law School from Martha's Vineyard, MA studying how the role of Atlantic herring has changed in the U.S. food system. She came to the Forum to ask fishermen for their perspectives and talks about her findings as well as how she connects marine fisheries to her work in local-regional food systems and how eaters can support fishermen.

Scope and Content Note

Allison Wilson Jr. was born in 1931, in Rockland. He has lived in Port Clyde, Maine, for almost eighty-one years, with twenty-four of those years spent in his current residence at 98 Horse Point Road. Wilson comes from a family with roots in Nova Scotia, with his ancestors having migrated to Port Clyde, where they built a log cabin before returning to Nova Scotia, and then coming back the following year. He estimates that he is the sixth or seventh generation of his family in the area.

Al West was a supervisor at the Stinson Cannery in Prospect Harbor, Maine.

Amber Jeskey works as a wharf manager and sternman. She explains what her daily life is like when she is working.

Project Leaders: Lisa L. Colburn and Kate E. Yentes
Date Collection Completed: On going
Location: www.voices.nmfs.noaa.gov
Geographic Location: Locations across New England