Since a massive die-off event in 1999, spurred by changing ecosystems dynamics, rising water temperatures and pollution stresses, the lobster population in Connecticut has done little to recover. As a result, most lobstermen in the state – in the nineties there were hundreds – have turned to other fisheries or livelihoods in order to survive. I was interested in profiling one of the few remaining full-time lobstermen still working in Connecticut, so I went out with fisherman Mike Theiler on his boat from New London where he hauls in Long Island Sound.

I wanted to capture the physicality of the job and the passion with which these fishermen approach their work. As Mike told me, “I could probably make better money, at this point, doing something else but it’s really more than just a job, it’s a livelihood.”

Tahria Sheather is an Australian visual storyteller now based in the United States. She is interested in telling stories based around the complex interaction between humans and the environment.