HOWB 127 – Interview | Buzz Scott of OceansWide.org; 1948 Wooden Sardine Boat “Pauline” To Become Research Vessel - 03.20.14

Today’s podcast episode is an interview with Buzz Scott, President and Founder of the Oceanswide.org research organization in Newcastle, Maine.

Buzz’s maritime adventures began as a young fisherman growing up on Matinicus Island, Maine. His love for the ocean grew greater with time and his parents provided him with his first boat at the age of 12 – small double ended boat called a peapod that came with 25 wooden lobster traps.

For years Buzz rowed his peapod around Matinicus, exploring its coves, beaches and ledges, fishing for lobsters, cod, mackerel and flounder and anything else that might swim, wiggle or crawl. He constantly found himself looking over the side of his boat into the water as far as he could see. As he grew older and began seining for herring, setting long lines for halibut, and dragging for scallops, there was one thing that never changed – he was always looking over the side, watching and waiting yet again to see what would surface from below the ocean.

After finishing school, Scott spent 17 years as a commercial fisherman in the Gulf of Maine. He also spent 2 years on supply ships in the Gulf of Mexico and 4 years working for the United States Antarctic Program as a marine technician and marine projects coordinator, sailing on scientific research ships around Antarctica.

More recently Buzz traded in the cool Antarctic climates for a slightly warmer spot. He has spent 8 years sailing up and down the west coast of the United States, Mexico and Canada. He was “sailing” as a pilot and mechanical technician, “flying” a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Moss Landing, California. He worked closely with scientists from around the world as they studied the deep canyons and volcanic fields below the surface of the Pacific Ocean.