National Fisherman's 2015 Highliners

This year, we’re recognizing three fishermen for their contributions to their industry and communities.

John F. Gruver, Puyallup, Wash.

By Sierra Golden

It’s hard to have a conversation about John Gruver’s work without someone immediately touting some version of this aphorism: “The fisherman of the future will be judged as much by what he doesn’t catch as by what he does catch.” It’s Gruver’s mantra, and in many ways it exemplifies his 40-year career as a visionary leader in the Bering Sea pollock fishery. Before anyone else, Gruver looked for effective, creative and sustainable ways to reduce bycatch in the pollock fishery and ensure that it stayed economically viable...

Kathy Hansen, Douglas, Alaska

By Charlie Ess

Asking Kathy Hansen to make the correlation between the name of her first boat, the Steadfast and her character as a fisherman and industry leader is to ask for a lesson in humility. Hansen, 55, of Douglas, Alaska, quickly defers to her husband, Ed, as an equal counterpart in all of her endeavors, on the water and off, but admits that she knows when to step up and lead...

Jeremiah O’Brien, Morro Bay, Calif.

By Nick Rahaim

In the late 1970s, Jeremiah O’Brien left New England to chase snow in the American West. He landed in Morro Bay, Calif., in 1980. Life as a ski bum left him with little reserves, so he headed to the docks and landed a fishing job...

We applaud them all for their devotion to the industry. Congratulations to National Fisherman’s 2015 Highliners.

» Read the full article in our December issue