Benjamin Kochan is a maritime historian whose research explores the political and environmental history of New England, particularly its fishing industries. He has degrees from MIT and Boston University, and has taught courses in maritime literature, Atlantic history, piracy, and ocean policy. As an educator and tour guide, he engages diverse audiences on buses and bicycles, aboard tall ships, cruise ships, and small boats, and on foot in Boston, New Bedford, and beyond. A lifelong Massachusetts resident, he also has been active for over 20 years in the Boston music scene as a DJ and radio host.