Gary Wikfors was born in Weehawken, NJ. After receiving his B.S. in biology at the University of Maine, Wikfors became interested in phycology. He began working at the Milford Laboratory in 1976 while earning his Master's at the University of Bridgeport. He later earned his PhD at the University of Connecticut while continuing to work at the lab. He is now the Branch Chief of the Aquaculture Sustainability Assessment Branch at the Milford Lab.

Gina Ylitalo is an environmental chemist at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, Washington. She was born in Yakima, Washington in 1957, and has been interested in a career in science since junior high.She attended Yakima Valley Community College for two years before transferring to Western Washington University and receiving a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. She earned her Master of Science in Chemistry from Western Washington University and was hired by National Marine Fisheries Service in 1989.

Gladden Schrock is a multifaceted individual with a diverse professional background. He has established himself as a herring fisherman, author, and playwright. His life's work has been significantly influenced by his experiences in the herring stop-seine fishery, which he began in the 1960s. Schrock's career has been rooted in South Bristol, Maine, where he has witnessed and contributed to the evolution of coastal life. His insights extend beyond fishing to encompass the sociocultural transformations within his community, including the interactions with Amish and Mennonite groups.

Gordon Waring was born on July 19, 1946 in Brooklyn, New York. He earned his B.A. in Biology from Humboldt State College, his Master’s from Bridgewater State College, and his Ph.D. in Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Waring began working for NOAA in 1973 and is a retired former team leader of the seal project within the Protected Species Branch at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center.

Interview with Hazel Nishimura, Darryl Tagami, Betty Young, Marian Yong by Edward Glazier. All four interviewees are current or retired employees of the Honolulu Lab which became the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center.

Hazel Nishimura grew up in Hawaii and worked for the National Marine Fisheries Service Honolulu Lab retiring as Head Librarian in 1990 after 30 years. She graduated from the University of Hawaii with a Bachelors in History and from Case Western University with a Master's in Library Science.

Heeny Yuen was born in 1926 in Hawaii. After leaving the Army, he completed his bachelors degree at the University of Michigan. He then returned to Hawaii and began a career in fisheries management at the Honolulu Lab while a graduate student. His first job was as a plankton picker. Over his long career, Heeny‘s research focus was varied with his later work focusing primarily on tuna and shark. He participated in numerous research cruises throughout his career over the vast Pacific territory. He retired in 1991 and as of this interview still lives in Hawaii.

James Bohnsack was born on September 3, 1947 in Flint, Michigan. He began working at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center in 1984 as a research fishery biologist. At the time of this interview in 2016, he was the Division Chief at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center, a position he has held since 2004.

James Crossen was born in Boston in 1926 and served in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. This experience helped him during the 1,200+days he was at sea during his long career. He began his career in 1955 with the U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries which later became the National Marine Fisheries Service.

James Hastie received a PhD in Resource Economics in 1987 from Oregon State University and immediately began working for the Alaska Fisheries Science Center. Jim has been on the Pacific Council’s groundfish management team since 1993 and has served as co-chair from 2000 to 2003. He is currently the Program Manager for the Population Ecology Program and the Fishery Resource Analysis and Monitoring Division at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center.

Jason Link is Senior Scientist for Ecosystem-based Management for the National Marine Fisheries Service, still sitting at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole. Dr. Link earned his B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Central Michigan University. He then received his Ph.D. from Michigan Technological University. He began his career with NOAA NMFS at the Pascagoula Lab before moving to the Woods Hole Lab.