Kenyon Ghandi is old-time Florida fisherman. He began fishing in 1948, and has been a commercial fisherman and owns a seafood market. Gandy narrates the evolution of the fishery in Panama City and gives insight on the history of the area. 

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Kevin Bellington is an experienced fishing guide with nearly 40 years of fishing in Goodland, Florida. As a charter captain, he has encountered numerous red tide events throughout his career and witnessed their impact on fish populations. 

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Larry F. Collins is a Florida native, born and raised in Gainesville, where he also attended college and majored in accounting. However, his career took a different path when he developed a passion for diving while teaching the sport during his college years. This passion led him to a unique opportunity at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, where he was hired as a lead diver for Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) Recovery Ships. Collins initially intended to stay for a few years, but his tenure extended to over three decades.

Laura Jay Grove is a research fishery biologist at the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) in Miami. Jay received her B.S. in marine biology from the University of New Hampshire, M.S. in marine science from the University of New England and Ph.D. in fisheries from Auburn University. She joined NOAA in 2016 and is presently the Coral Reef Conservation Program’s National Coral Reef Monitoring Program’s (NCRMP) SEFSC lead. In this role, she is the lead fish data scientist ensuring high quality data collection and analysis.

On October 15, 2020, Zachary Mason interviewed Lisa Carroll for the Decades of Change in the Florida Reef Tract: An Oral History Project. Lisa Carroll, a resident of Tequesta, Florida, is the owner and operator of the Jupiter Dive Center in Jupiter, Florida. The dive center offers charter boat services, diving instruction, equipment rentals, and retail sales, and is known for its role in the local diving community. The interview begins with Carroll's biographical background, detailing her early years in New Jersey and her passion for the ocean, which led her to Florida in 1995.

Dr. Lixion Avila is a renowned meteorologist who has made significant contributions to the field of weather forecasting. Born on November 25, 1950, in Havana, Cuba, Avila grew up in an American church, celebrating holidays like Thanksgiving. His family history traces back to Spain on his father's side and Eastern Europe on his mother's side. Avila's father held various jobs, one of which was a cowboy, transporting cattle from Central Cuba to Havana. Growing up in the Caribbean, he encountered and became fascinated with tropical storms.

Lixion Avila is a senior forecaster at the National Hurricane Center with the longest tenure among the current forecasters. His interest in meteorology began on the north coast of Cuba, where he observed the weather's impact on the waves and the local mariners and farmers. He pursued his education in Havana and later at the University of Miami, where he earned his master's degree in 1984 and his PhD in 1993. Avila's career at the National Hurricane Center began when he was the youngest hurricane specialist in the United States.

Lou Baggett is a 5th generation Floridian fisherman. He was once a commercial fisherman, and now mostly employs charter services.

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In this interview, Baggett enlightens us on the rapid, environmental changes occurring in southwest Florida.  The most intense Red Tide he has experienced was in 2013, which he attributes to a phosphate dumping event. 

Luis Esteban Garcia was born on June 18, 1970, at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach, Florida. He spent his early childhood near the Miami River before moving to the Roads neighborhood at age seven. Garcia attended Louisiana State University from 1988 to 1991. His family has a long history in the fishing industry, originating in Cuba. After the Cuban Revolution, his father and uncles were forced to work for the regime, leading to their exile to Miami.

Born and raised in Eastpoint, Lynn Martina grew up in the seafood industry. Her parents, John and Sherrill Carroll, were in the business for almost thirty years. Lynn started shucking at her parents' oyster house at the age of nine. She would get out of school and head straight to the shucking stall. But after Lynn finished school, she got a job in banking. In 1997, though, Lynn's parents were ready to retire. They sold Braxton and Carroll Seafood to their daughter. Lynn changed the name to Lynn's Quality Oysters.