I have been involved with the commercial fishing industry since 1998, when I was 18. My first experience on a fishing vessel was less than pleasant as I spent my first seven days on the Gulf of Maine in stormy seas with an end result of no paycheck. However, out of that trip grew a fascination for what the ocean held for secrets. From there, I moved onto smaller and larger vessels, gillnetting and dragging. Shortly after my first trips on this coast, I ended up in the Berring Sea working in the larger bottom trawl fleet out of Alaska. During this time, I was commuting from home and spending as much as five months at a time fishing in Alaska. My goal was eventually to come home and make a future fishing in Maine. After growing tired of the Alaskan fisheries, I came back Maine and happened into the Portland bottom trawl fleet. Since 2007, I have spent my time alternating between larger draggers fishing Georges Bank, and trying to turn my latest vessel into a viable entity. The F/V Sarah Belle is a 40’ stern trawler that I use to pursue primarily shrimp, though I target other viable fisheries, such as whiting, to fill the void during the rest of the year.