Lela Anderson is a Maine native who has spent her life in the close-knit community of Corea, located in Gouldsboro. Born in 1931, Lela grew up in a large family of eight siblings and witnessed the changing landscape of her hometown and the fishing industry that defined it. From an early age, she was involved in blueberry raking and assisting her father with pulpwood work. Her family's connection to the fishing industry extended to her mother's employment at a local sardine plant, which later influenced Lela's own career path.

Interview with fisherman Leonard E. Young, III, born September 9, 1944 in Bar Harbor, Maine. Young describes his entry into the commercial fisheries and discusses both lobstering and groundfish fishing.
 

On March 27, 2024, Camden Hunt and Jessica Bonilla interviewed Libby Davis in Portland, Maine. Libby Davis is the founder and operator of Lady Shuckers, a mobile raw bar and catering business that sources from women-owned aquaculture farms in Maine. Born and raised in Scarborough, Davis holds a degree in biology and served in the Peace Corps in Madagascar before returning to Maine and entering the aquaculture industry through the Maine Oyster Company.

Lynn Bowman was born on December 20, 1938, in Eastport, Maine. She is a third-generation Eastporter who lived in the city until her high school graduation. Like many young people from Eastport, she moved away after graduation to pursue opportunities in larger cities. She relocated to Portland, where she lived for approximately forty-eight years. During her career, Bowman worked at Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and she is now retired. In her youth, she was involved in the fisheries, working in a factory during the summer when she was fifteen.

Marc Hoffman is a business owner, author, and advocate for fisheries management. As the owner of M. K. Hoffman Services, he specializes in selling automotive mechanical lubricants and additives aimed at improving fuel efficiency. With his book Shell Game, Hoffman alleges that the high 2008 oil prices were caused by actions of investment banks rather than the mortgage collapse. Additionally, he actively participates in fisheries management as a member of the Atlantic States Fisheries Commission Advisory Panel. 

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.

Marina Cucuzza, a marine researcher from Boston, MA, is currently working on her thesis which assesses the capacity for sustainability in coastal communities. She discusses buzz words such as resilience and sustainability which she finds important to define and what she has come across in her projects so far. She talks about her experiences working on a whale watch, living in Canada, and working intensely with people as well as how her experiences have driven her interest in science and given her an understanding of how multifaceted situations can be.

Mary Beth Tooley is from Lincolnville, ME and works for the O'Hara Corporation, a family-held company that has been involved in fishing since 1906. The company initially focused on New England groundfish but had to shift its operations to the North Pacific, specifically the Bering Sea, after the Hague Line decision placed their fishing grounds in Canadian waters. The O'Hara Corporation has 11 scallop boats based in New Bedford and two herring boats based in Rockland, Maine.

Merritt Carey, from Tennent’s Harbor, ME, grew up summering in Maine and is now a key member of the Maine Aquaculture Co-op. In this interview, she recounts her experiences working Maine, including delivering lobster, being a crew member in the second all-female crew to participate in an around-the-world sailing race, and buying a wharf and forming the Maine Aquaculture Co-op. Her goal is to make sure that aquaculture money stays at the shore.

Micah Woodcock, a wild seaweed harvester from Stonington, ME, speaks about the reality of the practical, personal, and community sides of harvesting wild seaweed. He discusses his experiences in Maine and his opinions of the future of the seaweed industry and the people influenced by this business.

Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2018 is a project of Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, and the Island Institute, with support from the Maine Fishermen’s Forum Board of Directors.