Board Members

Michael Bartlett is President of the Lobster Foundation of Massachusetts. Michael comes from three generations of lobstermen. He has been on a boat his entire life and has been a commercial lobsterman for 20+ years. Michael is the owner/operator of the F/V Hanna Mary in Beverly, MA. He also sits on the Executive Board for the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association and is a Delegate. Michael is an active participant in the commercial lobster industry.

Mark Ring has been a commercial lobsterman for 40+ years. Mark is the owner/operator of the F/V Stanley Thomas out of Gloucester, MA. Mark’s passion for commercial fishing started at a young age as both his father and his uncles were lobstermen and his dad ran a marina in Manchester by-the Sea. Mark currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Lobster Foundation of Massachusetts, the Executive Board for the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association and is the Chairman for the city of Gloucester’s Fisheries Commission.

Bob Ward has been commercially lobstering for 57+ years and got his first lobster license at 13 in 1964. Being a commercial lobsterman afforded Bob the opportunity to attend and pay for his college tuition at Bentley University to pursue a Bachelors in accounting. Bob is the owner/operator of the F/V Cap’n George out of Plymouth, MA. Bob has been a member of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association for over 41 years. Currently, Bob is the treasurer for the Lobster Foundation of Massachusetts and an Executive Committee Board member for the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association.

Bill Adler is the former Executive Director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association, has a master’s in English and has been a commercial lobsterman for over 45 years. His first job was sea mossing of the coast of Marshfield, MA. This is where he developed his love for lobstering and set his first lobster pots in 1963. He became a commercial lobsterman in 1974. He is the owner/operator of the F/V Vahalla in Green Harbor, MA. Bill is a very active participant in the fishing industry and has resided on several Commissions throughout the years.

John Barrett’s passion for lobster fishing started when he was 18 on the back of a lobster boat out of Cohassett, MA. John has been lobstering as a commercial lobsterman for 40+ years and still has the same passion! Currently, he sits on the Board of Directors for the Lobster Foundation of Massachusetts, and is an active participant with in the commercial fishing industry. John is the owner/operator of the F/V Susan T.

Jarrett Drake, owner/operator of the F/V Cynthia Lee and the F/V Encourager, has been commercially lobstering for over 34+ years in the waters of Buzzards Bay. Jarrett’s fishing experience dates back to 1985 when he first got his junior commercial lobster license. Jarrett sits on the Board of Directors for the Lobster Foundation of Massachusetts and is the Vice President, Delegate, and Executive Committee member of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association. Jarrett also has been appointed to the Area 2 Lobster Conservation Management Team by the MA Division of Marine Fisheries.

Beth Casoni is a pro-active participant in many areas involving the commercial fishing industry with her primary focus on the commercial lobster industry. As the Executive Director for the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association Beth is the boots on the ground representative for the commercial fishermen and will always give them the shore side support needed to ensure their continued success on the water. Beth also sits on the Board of Director’s for the Lobster Foundation of Massachusetts.

Eric Meschino grew up lobster fishing in Hull, MA. and comes from a generation of fishermen. Eric’s father was a fisherman and a teacher as well as his uncle who was an offshore lobsterman in the 1960’s through the 1970’s. Eric’s career in commercial lobstering began in 2008 to present. Eric has also done offshore lobstering as well as sword-fishing. Currently, Eric sits on the Lobster Foundation of Massachusetts Board of Directors, The Stellwagen Bank Advisory Council and is a Delegate for the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association. Eric attended U-Mass Boston and has a degree in political science and was a stock broker from 1998-2003.

David Casoni has been a commercial lobsterman for 45+ years out of Sandwich, MA. Dave feels commercial fishing allows an individual an opportunity to “truly” understand the complexity of our marine eco-system. Dave sits on the Executive Board for the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) and is the secretary/treasurer for both the MLA and the Sandwich Commercial Fishing Association. Dave also is on the Board of Directors for the Lobster Foundation of Massachusetts, as well as the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation.

Phil Michaud comes from a generational fishing family, has been a commercial fisherman for 40 years and a commercial lobsterman for 20. Phil is the owner/operator of two fishing vessels, the F/V Susan C III and F/V Charger in the port of Sandwich, MA. Phil sits on the Board of Directors for the Lobster Foundation of Massachusetts and is a Delegate for the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association. Phil has resided on many industries related fishing boards throughout the years. Currently, Phil is working with National Marine Fisheries Service on a project and will continue to be a pro-active participant on behalf of the commercial lobster industry.

Rich Cassola started lobstering with his father when he was 10 years old in Beverly, MA. Rich was a police officer for over 33 years and has been retired for 10, his passion was always lobstering and that is where he is today! He is the owner/operator of the F/V Be Calm. Rich sits on the Board of Directors for the Lobster Foundation of Massachusetts and is a Delegate for the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association.

Arthur “Sooky” Sawyer of Gloucester is a commercial lobsterman and current president of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association. He sits on the Board for the Lobster Foundation of Massachusetts, as well as the Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission. “Sooky” also, serves as an industry representative on the federal Large Whale Take Reduction Team. He has over 40+ years of commercial fishing experience in both the commercial lobster fishery and the ground-fish fishery. He is the owner/ operator of the F/V Life is Good that operates from the port of Gloucester.

Tracey Abboud is the Program Coordinator for the Lobster Foundation of Massachusetts. Tracey actively seeks funding for various fishing related projects throughout the Commonwealth and is invested in all stages of grant developments. Tracey joined the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association (MLA) in 2014 as Executive Assistant to Executive Director, Beth Casoni. In this role she is instrumental in the MLA’s promotional events such as the Annual Weekend & Industry Trade Show, Lobster Day at the State House, and several fishing related venues that occur around the state. Tracey coordinates, plans, and supports the MLA members, processes new memberships, answers scores of questions that members may have, and updates the MLA classifieds.