November 9, 2023 — National Fisherman’s five 2023 Highliner award honorees took the stage Wednesday at the Pacific Marine Expo to applause from a packed house – and urging everyone in the audience to stay involved in the future of their fisheries.
I’m a first-generation commercial fisherman, and at an early age, I knew what I wanted to do,” said Jimmy Hull of Ormond Beach, Fla., who credited his father’s early support with launching his career, from the decks to advising scientists and managers.
“With family, hard work, and persistence, we succeeded,” said Hull. His priority remains seeing “American seafood produced by American fishermen.”
Matt Alward of Homer, Alaska gave a shout-out to the “people who fight to keep this industry alive” and mentors like Captain Malcolm Milne, who early in his career convinced Alward to get involved in fisheries policy issues.
“If you’re not part of the advocacy, you really have to step up,” Alward told the audience.