David is a commercial fishermen in Eastport, Maine. Because of the economy in Eastport, David has to work multiple jobs in addition to fishing.

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

John Cox, is a clam manager in Jonesboro, ME.

Scope and Content Note

John Crossman has been a lobster fisherman for 23 years, starting in Frenchboro, an island off the coast. John learned fishing from his father. He currently fishes off Bass Harbor, Mount Desert Island, but keeps his fishing spots secret.

John Faulkingham, a 63 year old fisherman and entrepreneur, talks about offshore cod fishing, lobster fishing and clamming. He tells of close calls on the water and the hard life he had in his early years of fishing.

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 Mitchell, Joey Evangelista, Jamie Campbell, and Steven Kenney are high school students from Mount Desert Island, ME, who were part of the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries’ Eastern Maine Skippers Program as well as commercial fishermen of their own.

Scope and Content Note

John Neubig, also known as Johnny, was born on September 18, 1939, and has spent his entire life in Friendship. His family has lived in Friendship for two generations Johnny has one sister, two sons, and a grandson. Although he is currently disabled, he spent 31 years as a lobsterman, from 1954 to 1985.As a lobsterman, Johnny captained his own boat, and in the later years, his wife accompanied him on the fishing trips. In addition to lobstering, he worked as a mason and served in the Navy for two years.

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.

John Phinney, born in 1967 in Utah, has spent most of his life in Lubec, Maine. His family has a long history in the seafood industry, with his father working as a fish buyer, coordinating with boats and processing plants. In the mid-70s, his family started a business on Campobello Island, New Brunswick, which they sold in the mid-80s to move to Lubec. After serving in the military for six years, Phinney took over the family business in 1998, renaming it Phinney Fisheries.

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.