Oculina Bank Oral History Project
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Interviewer
Terry Howard
Date
2010-07-17
Publication Date
Fall 10-13-2010
Abstract
Oral history interview with commercial fisherman Herman Summerlin. Summerlin, a native of Fort Pierce, comes from a family of fishermen and has worked in the industry his entire life. As a young man, he fished for mullet, crawfish, and kingfish, mostly inshore. Later, he owned several fish houses and worked in the marine construction industry. Summerlin has never fished on the Oculina Bank but was still affected by the 1984 ban on bottom fishing since production declined. By 1994 when the next restrictions went into effect, he no longer owned a fish house and so his business was not impacted. In Summerlin's opinion, closing areas to fishing is not fair to fishermen. He prefers a quota system, arguing that it would be fair and lead to a better quality of fish. One problem is that there are considerably more fishers now than there were when he was a young man, placing much more stress on the fish. In this interview, Summerlin describes some of his fish houses and other business endeavors, and discusses how fishing has changed over the last fifty years.
Keywords
Fish Trade, Fisheries, Florida, Fort Pierce, Fishers, Interviews, Fishery closures, Fishery management
Subject: topical
Fish trade; Fisheries; Fishers; Fishery closures; Fishery management; Fishing; Florida; Fort Pierce; Interviews
Subject: geographic
Florida, Fort Pierce
Language
English
Type
Sound
Genre
Oral history, Online audio
Format
1 sound file (46 min.) : digital, MP3 file + ;
Holding Location
University of South Florida
Collection
Oculina Bank Oral History Project
Identifier
O6-00031
Recommended Citation
Summerlin, Herman (Interviewee), "Herman Summerlin oral history interview" (2010). Oculina Bank Oral History Project. 12.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/oculina_ohp/12
Rights Statement
