Eric Hesse

Captain Eric Hesse, of Barnstable, earned a Bachelors of Science in Physics from Bates College and a Masters of Science in Civil/Environmental Engineering from the University of Massachusetts. Once he started fishing in the 1980s it was something he couldn’t give up. A tuna harpoon fisherman, he also fishes for groundfish with lines and hooks – a method that hearkens back hundreds of years. Hesse, who owns the Tenacious II and the Mattanza, has seen the stocks of groundfish such as cod and haddock plummet, but he has also seen them begin to come back. He has spent a lot of time working with scientists to improve fisheries science and management. Hesse partners with Whole Foods in a program to bring fresh local fish into the supermarket, and introduces consumers to the fishermen who caught it. Hesse served on the board of directors of the Hook Association, the forerunner of the Fishermen’s Alliance, for six years and now has rejoined the Alliance board.