Characters in the book
     
  • Ali Weinstock— the heroine of an earlier book When Comes Such Anothert,now 15, starting high school
  • Herr Doctor — Ali’s father, now teaching in a local community college
  • Dearie — a family friend of Ali and Herr Doctor, she is Ali’s moral compass and lives with the Weinstocks
  • Roger Beaumer – a  local commercial fisherman, a former bay man, struggling to make a living as master of a commercial boat; had to put another mortgage on his house to own the boat
  • Tim Beaumer – Roger’s teenage son, an inshore lobsterman after school hours
  • Ecologists and scientists; National Marine Fisheries Service team
    • Annie Chapman, a fish biologist and Habitat specialist working for NMFS; a lot of book knowledge and research experience, plus field work tagging bluefins; researching bluefin migration
    • NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco  22
    • Barbara Block, Stanford University marine biologist 22
  • Richard Blodgett-- a commercial fleet owner  and business man; his boats are the Orca, the Hoover, and Tuna Hunter 23
    • Paul Blodgett—Richard’s son, classmate of Tim and Ali 23
    • Whitey — Orca deckhand, a scurrilous sort 22
    • Blodgett is a lubricious, astute businessman who owns a fish market (retail and wholesale) and a bait business too
  • The locals
    • John Henry Williams – local  restauranteur 13, 15
    • Lea-Ann Fernald --  Peirce Island Lobster Company  owner –9, 15, 21, 23
    • Norman Olsen --  South End Fish seafood market owner 15, 18
    • Ruth Newcombe --  Friends of the South End (neighborhood group) liaison to Fishing Industry Committee  15
    • Don Stanley --  an expert recreational fisherman 20 22
  • Commercial fishermen cast
    • Bud Adams --  a local commercial fisherman who is part of the Fresh Local co-op, an older guy fighting to support his large family; owns the F/V Lady Annemarie 12, 22,23
    • Brian Johnson --  young and single, from a fishing family, has his own boat  12 23
    • Al Johnson -- Brian’s father; he has his own boat 12 23
    •  Sampson Pauling — Al’s stern man, a fatherly person who looks after Tim when he can, as does Al 12 23
    • Mike Galetea— middle aged long time fisherman, a hot head, angry, has one boat 12
    • Bill Lamontagne — operates a ‘family fleet’ of lobster boats from the large dock on their causeway island home 12
    • Evan Morrison  – Heads the NHSeacoast Collaborative; his boat is the Leslie Sue 23
  • School cast
    • Ms. Palmer -- -Biology teacher
    • Mr. Daley-- Principal
  • Boat cast
    • Ali and Herr Doctor own a small sailboat
    • Roger’s ommercial fishing vessel (F/V Lady Diane), for groundfish, lobster,  and maybe bluefin
    • Teen ager’s outboard, his Dad’s old boat, the Osprey
    • Orca, a long liner
    • F/V Hoover, a dragger
    • Blodgett’s sportfisherman, the Tuna Hunter
    • Bud Adams’ boat, F/V Lady Annemarie
    • Coast Guard 35 footer, plus 25’ Defenders
  • Animal cast
    • Tim’s  dog Tux, short for Tuxedo, because of his black and white markings, a Border Collie
    • Big Blue, a mature bluefin tuna
    • Llittle Blue --  a smaller bluefin from a younger age class, maybe Big Blue’s son  6
    • Ali’s dog Stella, a black and white Havanese who recalls her memories of Whu