Hugh Mercer talks about Holmer fish farm in St. Augustine, Florida.

This interview with J.B. Crawford was conducted as part of the Cortez Village Voices from the Fisheries Project. This project is a collection of oral histories of Cortez, Florida community members who are involved in maritime activities (such as commercial fishermen, recreational fishermen, crew members, and fish house workers) in order to document the changing face of Cortez Village's marine environment.

Jack Beven is a Senior Hurricane Specialist at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, a position he has held since 1999. Prior to this, he worked as a marine aviation forecaster for five years in the tropical analysis forecast branch. Beven's academic background is in physics and meteorology. He earned his bachelor's degree in physics from Louisiana State University in 1984, followed by a master's degree in meteorology in 1988 and a PhD in 1994, both from Florida State.

Jack Hale is a seasoned fisherman hailing from Naples with over 30 years of experience in stone crab fishing. Throughout his career, he witnessed the decline of stone crabs and the detrimental impact of red tide events on marine life.

Scope and Content Note

Narrator Jack Hill, of Key Largo, Florida, was the owner of a fish house and a former commercial fisherman at the time of the interview. Hill's formative years were spent mastering the craft of fishing, a skill passed down through generations. As he matured, he expanded his expertise beyond the immediate scope of fishing to encompass a broader understanding of market dynamics and trade.

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.

Oral history interview with James Britt.

This interview with James Eddison was conducted as part of the Recreational Fishermen of the Greater Tampa Bay Voices from the Fisheries Project. This project is a collection of oral histories of recreational fishermen and fisheries managers located in the greater Tampa Bay area of Florida. Interviews in this project were conducted by eighth grade marine science students at Admiral Farragut Academy.

James Franklin is a retired meteorologist who spent 35 years of his career with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). His tenure was divided between the Hurricane Research Division (HRD) and the National Hurricane Center. Franklin's journey in meteorology began at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he pursued his master's degree. His initial thesis was focused on the study of the New England coastal front. However, due to an unfortunate incident involving the loss of crucial data, he had to change his thesis topic.

In 1942, the year James Hicks was born, dozens of families lived and worked thirteen miles west of Apalachicola. Their lives revolved around Miller's Fish & Oyster Company on the west end of the Apalachicola Bay, with a clear view of Indian Pass and St. Vincent Island. The Hicks family was one of those families. James's father, Henry Harrison Hicks, worked for the Millers. James followed suit, working on the bay by the time he was twelve years old. He oystered for near thirty-five years before he decided to hang his hat and get a more reliable job.