On June 20, 2011, Nancy Solomon interviewed Tom Jefferies as part of the Long Island Traditions Oral History collection. Born in 1955, Jefferies is an experienced bayman who has operated out of Freeport, New York for decades. Jefferies was exposed to life on the bay from an early age; his family owned two fishing stations and a bay house that he visited during summers as a child. In this session, he provides a brief sketch of haul seining for spearing, chumming, and harvesting horseshoe crabs. He also notes that he prefers to hand-pack his bait product to sell directly to individual fishermen and local shops. Finally, Jefferies describes some of the changes on the bay that he’s observed in recent years, including increased development and disruptive boat traffic. 

On October 19, 2011, Solomon conducted a second, more extensive interview with Jefferies. This session delves deeper into Jefferies’s time growing up on the bay, his typical fishing activities, his notable wildlife encounters over the years, and his reflections on the state of the baymen's profession. He got his start working for his grandfather and gained additional experience assisting older fishermen on rig trawlers and dragger boats. After college, Jefferies began working the bay full-time on his own, focusing especially on bait. He explains the cyclical nature of the coastal environment and walks through what a typical year on the bay for him entails. Because of fluctuating fish populations, baymen rarely predict what the next season will bring. Instead, they usually adjust their target species according to the current conditions in the bay. Among the species that Jefferies catches are clams, mussels, spearing, striped bass, and fluke. He also offers an in-depth account of the life cycle and harvesting process of horseshoe crabs. Jefferies emphasizes the importance of maintaining one's fishing permits, as they have become increasingly difficult to obtain. While he feels that state regulations can be tough, he asserts that they have been crucial for the resurgence and maintenance of regional fish stocks. The interview concludes with Jefferies’s thoughts on why he became a bayman, and the changes he hopes to see to encourage younger generations entering the business.