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"Coming Home Was Easy" explores the history and culture of trolling through the recollections of 15 fishermen and women grounded in outdoor experience. Their stories are honest, funny, and profound.

Featuring scenes of contemporary fishing, historic footage and photographs taken by the trollers themselves, and music by Pacific Northwest folk artists, the video was produced by Jim Bergeron and Lawrence Johnson. The Clatsop County Oral History Fund sponsored the interviews. Margaret Hollenbach, a cultural anthropologist and writer for Pacific Fishing magazine, wrote the script.

"Coming Home Was Easy" shows how, through a combination of adaptation and what the filmmakers call just plain stubbornness, trollers continue their way of life into the 21st century.

The Telly Awards program was founded in 1980, giving recognition to outstanding film and video productions, non-network TV programming and non-network and cable TV commercials.

Since its inception, the Telly Awards has become a well-known national competition; more than 10,000 entries are received each year. Judges rate each on a 10-point scale, and any entry receiving a score of 7 to 8.9 is a finalist and receives a Bronze Telly. All entries receiving 9 or higher are judged "winners" and receive Silver awards.

Winners in last year's competition included entries from the U.S. Postal Service, Nabisco, Coca-Cola, The Weather Channel, MTV and the Cartoon Network.

"Coming Home Was Easy" is available on videotape ($25 plus $3.50 postage) from Oregon Sea Grant Communications, Oregon State University, 322 Kerr, Admin. Bldg., Corvallis, OR 97331-2131.

Bergeron, an OSU graduate, went on teach high school and oceanographic technology at Clatsop Community College, as well as commercial fisheries courses at Kodiak Community College. After working in the fishing industry for several years, he took the position of Extension Sea Grant agent at Astoria, a position he held 27 years, until retiring in January 2002.

Johnson has been making documentary films and videos since 1983. His work in history and culture has received many awards. He writes and produces programming for museums across the country.