Mr. Kvilhaug is a scallop fisherman, based out of the Greater New Bedford area. His fishing roots are rich and deep, dating back on his paternal side to the Vikings in the 1500 and 1600s. Additionally, his maternal grandfather built fishing vessels. Mr. Kvilhaug was born in Norway and emigrated to the United States in 1961 at the age of 22. He worked every job on fishing vessels, including being a deck hand, a mate and then a captain.
At the age of thirty, he bought his first boat and has been scalloping ever since. Mr. Kvilhaug has also been an advocate for supporting local business who leads by example. In 2008, rather than hiring a boatbuilder from the South, he contracted with local businesses to have a new scalloper built locally. Mr. Kvilhaug’s decades of experience fishing off of New England brings invaluable information about the history and development of the fishing industry and fisheries to the organization.