Interviewer(s): Diane Austin; T. McGuire. Golden Meadow, LA

Affiliation: University of Arizona

Whitney Dardar is the father of Brenda Dardar Robichaux, principal chief of the United Houma Nation, and husband of Delores Dardar. He has lived in Golden Meadow all his life and is a trawler and oysterman. He worked as a crewboat and tugboat captain for several years as a young man. I first met Whitney when working on the baseline study for the MMS in 1996 and have talked with him on several occasions. He agreed to be interviewed for this project to talk about the community, the fishermen, and the early arrival of oil and gas. Whitney talked about the improvements in the equipment they used in trawling and fishing and also the establishment of seasons. He also talked about how he made a living. We started out talking about the low prices for shrimp this year and how the imported shrimp were negatively affecting the local trawlers. The price of fuel and ice continues to rise, but the price they are paid for the shrimp falls so the fishermen are losing money. When we finished the interview, Whitney showed us some of his oysters. He talked about raising oysters as being like raising a garden. You tend and tend them and make them grow. "I like to see things grow."

Whitney began trawling when he was 16 years old. His dad made his living fishing, trawling, and trapping, and Whitney did the same, though he only trapped for a short time. When he was about 25 years old and working on oyster boats, Whitney decided to try operating crew boats. He worked in the oil and gas industry for about 10 years and trawled on his days off. Then he returned to shrimping fulltime and continues to operate his trawler.